{"product_id":"the-boat-people-9780525432463","title":"The Boat People","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGlobe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller, \u003ci\u003eThe Boat People\u003c\/i\u003e 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\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Boat People\u003c\/i\u003e is a spellbinding and timely novel that provokes a deeply compassionate lens through which to view the current refugee crisis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSharon Bala lives in St. John's where she is a member of The Port Authority writing group. Her short story \"Butter Tea at Starbucks\" won the prestigious Writers' Trust \/ McClelland \u0026amp; Stewart Journey Prize in 2017. \u003ci\u003e The Boat People\u003c\/i\u003e is her first novel. Please visit SharonBala.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51453519331602,"sku":"9780525432463","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5ad8cf6b-6ab0-4801-bc4b-7b5c756945c1.jpg?v=1751971754","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-boat-people-9780525432463","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}