The word ‘terrorist’ and its implications are also addressed in this book. And as we all know, this is EXACTLY what’s going on in so many other parts of the world right now, which is why this book is so important for everyone to read right now. Bala holds nothing back, giving violent and graphic descriptions of what Sri Lanka is deteriorating into during its civil war, which offers any and all justification you may want for Mahindan’s actions. As if living in a democratic country where present-day civilians never have (and most likely never will) experience active war could possibly give one any perspective on what it’s like to live in third world countries that are steeped in civil unrest. They say things like ‘why wouldn’t they stay and fight?’, or ‘surely there is a safer place to go’.

And what I find so frustrating about people’s arguments against taking in refugees is their assumption that they themselves would do something differently if in the same position. What ratchets up the tension and emotion in this book is the fact that we get glimpses of Mahindan’s life before they left, and what drove him to take his son on this perilous, three month (!) journey to Canada. The lawyer Priya is a second-generation Sri-Lankan Canadian, and Grace the adjudicator is a third generation Japanese-Canadian, each dealing with their own memories and family histories of landing in Canada. Bala complicates matters for not only the characters, but the readers Mahindan and his son are separated as soon as they land-Mahindan is placed in a detention centre for men only, while his 6-year-old son is sent to the prison for women and children. The reader is introduced to a few different characters involved a father and son who were passengers on the ship, one of the lawyers tasked with representing the refugees, and the adjudicator who is responsible for deciding the fates of many of these refugees. It’s loosely based on the true story of a boat of Sri Lankans who landed on Canada’s shores back in 2010.

It brought me close to tears, and enraged me all at the same time.

I seem to be reading a lot of sad books lately (not recommended when you’re pregnant, but whatever), and this book was heart-wrenching. Would you want to spend three months on this ship? Didn’t think so. This is what the refugees came over on in 2010.

The boat people by sharon bala