Reef is a historical fiction novel written by Sri Lankan-born British author Romesh Gunesekera, first published by Granta Books in 1994.

[1] Written in English and set in Sri Lanka, it tells the story of a talented young chef named Triton who is so committed to pleasing his master, Mr. Salgado, a marine biologist obsessed with swamps and seafood, that he is oblivious to the political unrest threatening his country.

Triton is a young chef who was forced to leave his father's house to work for Mr. Ranjan Salgado, a marine biologist obsessed by swamps, sea movements, and a Sri Lankan island's disappearing reef.

Almost immediately, thanks to his master's obsessions, Triton works hard to please him with his carefully prepared delicacies.

A kind of radical uprise of violent Marxist furor is introduced through the character of Wijetunga.