The Boat People: A Novel [Mar 27, 2018] Bala, Sharon

For Readers Of Khaled Hosseini And Chris Cleave, The Boat People Is An Extraordinary Novel About A Group Of Refugees Who Survive A Perilous Ocean Voyage Only To Face The Threat Of Deportation Amid Accusations Of Terrorism When A Rusty Cargo Ship Carrying Mahindan And Five Hundred Fellow Refugees From Sri Lanka's Bloody Civil War Reaches Vancouver's Shores, The Young Father Thinks He And His Six-year-old Son Can Finally Start A New Life. Instead, The Group Is Thrown Into A Detention Processing Center, With Government Officials And News Headlines Speculating That Among The Boat People Are Members Of A Separatist Militant Organization Responsible For Countless Suicide Attacks--and That These Terrorists Now Pose A Threat To Canada's National Security. As The Refugees Become Subject To Heavy Interrogation, Mahindan Begins To Fear That A Desperate Act Taken In Sri Lanka To Fund Their Escape May Now Jeopardize His And His Son's Chance For Asylum. Told Through The Alternating Perspectives Of Mahindan; His Lawyer, Priya, A Second-generation Sri Lankan Canadian Who Reluctantly Represents The Refugees; And Grace, A Third-generation Japanese Canadian Adjudicator Who Must Decide Mahindan's Fate As Evidence Mounts Against Him, The Boat People Is A Spellbinding And Timely Novel That Provokes A Deeply Compassionate Lens Through Which To View The Current Refugee Crisis-- A Debut Novel About A Thirty-five-year-old Sri Lankan Refugee Who Has Survived The Harrowing Experiences Of Civil War, A Prison Camp, And A Perilous Ocean Voyage To Canada -- But His Journey Has Only Begun, As He And His Young Son Navigate The Morass Of The Refugee System-- Sharon Bala. By the winner of The Journey Prize, and inspired by a real incident, The Boat People is a gripping and morally complex novel about a group of refugees who survive a perilous ocean voyage to reach Canada – only to face the threat of deportation and accusations of terrorism in their new land. When the rusty cargo ship carrying Mahindan and five hundred fellow refugees reaches the shores of British Columbia, the young father is overcome with relief: he and his six-year-old son can finally put Sri Lanka's bloody civil war behind them and begin new lives. Instead, the group is thrown into prison, with government officials and news headlines speculating that hidden among the “boat people” are members of a terrorist militia. As suspicion swirls and interrogation mounts, Mahindan fears the desperate actions he took to survive and escape Sri Lanka now jeopardize his and his son's chances for asylum. Told through the alternating perspectives of Mahindan; his lawyer Priya, who reluctantly represents the migrants; and Grace, a third-generation Japanese-Canadian adjudicator who must decide Mahindan's fate, The Boat People is a high-stakes novel that offers a deeply compassionate lens through which to view the current refugee crisis. Inspired by real events, with vivid scenes that move between the eerie beauty of northern Sri Lanka and combative refugee hearings in Vancouver, where life and death decisions are made, Sharon Bala's stunning debut is an unforgettable and necessary story for our times. "For readers of Khaled Hosseini and Chris Cleave, The Boat People is an extraordinary novel about a group of refugees who survive a perilous ocean voyage only to face the threat of deportation amid accusations of terrorism When a rusty cargo ship carrying Mahindan and five hundred fellow refugees from Sri Lanka's bloody civil war reaches Vancouver's shores, the young father thinks he and his six-year-old son can finally start a new life. Instead, the group is thrown into a detention processing center, with government officials and news headlines speculating that among the "boat people" are members of a separatist militant organization responsible for countless suicide attacks--and that these terrorists now pose a threat to Canada's national security. As the refugees become subject to heavy interrogation, Mahindan begins to fear that a desperate act taken in Sri Lanka to fund their escape may now jeopardize his and his son's chance for asylum. Told through the alternating perspectives of Mahindan; his lawyer, Priya, a second-generation Sri Lankan Canadian who reluctantly represents the refugees; and Grace, a third-generation Japanese Canadian adjudicator who must decide Mahindan's fate as evidence mounts against him, The Boat People is a spellbinding and timely novel that provokes a deeply compassionate lens through which to view the current refugee crisis"-- Provided by publisher Globe and Mail bestseller,#160; The Boat People is an extraordinary novel about a group of refugees who survive a perilous ocean voyage only to face the threat of deportation amid accusations of terrorism When a rusty cargo ship carrying Mahindan and five hundred fellow refugees from Sri Lanka's bloody civil war reaches Vancouver's shores, the young father thinks he and his six-year-old son can finally start a new life. Instead, the group is thrown into a detention processing center, with government officials and news headlines speculating that among the "boat people" are members of a separatist militant organization responsible for countless suicide attacksand that these terrorists now pose a threat to Canada's national security. As the refugees become subject to heavy interrogation, Mahindan begins to fear that a desperate act taken in Sri Lanka to fund their escape may now jeopardize his and his son's chance for asylum. #160;#160;#160;#160; Told through the alternating perspectives of Mahindan; his lawyer, Priya, a second-generation Sri Lankan Canadian who reluctantly represents the refugees; and Grace, a third-generation Japanese Canadian adjudicator who must decide Mahindan's fate as evidence mounts against him, The Boat People is a spellbinding and timely novel that provokes a deeply compassionate lens through which to view the current refugee crisis When the rusty cargo ship carrying five hundred refugees from Sri Lanka's bloody civil war reaches Vancouver Island's shores, Mahindan thinks he and his six-year-old son, Sellian, can finally start a new life. Instead, Sellian is ripped from his father's arms and Mahindan, along with his fellow refugees, is thrown into prison. Government officials and news headlines claim that hidden among the "boat people" are members of a terrorist organization infamous for their suicide attacks. As suspicion swirls and interrogation mounts, Mahindan fears the desperate actions he took to survive and escape Sri Lanka now jeopardize their chances of asylum. Told through the alternating perspectives of Mahindan; his lawyer, Priya, a second-generation Japanese Canadian adjudicator who must decide Mahindan's fate, The Boat people is spellbinding, timely, and compassionate novel about the lengths a father will go to protect his son "A debut novel about a thirty-five-year-old Sri Lankan refugee who has survived the harrowing experiences of civil war, a prison camp, and a perilous ocean voyage to Canada -- but his journey has only begun, as he and his young son navigate the morass of the refugee system"-- Provided by publisher