The Boat People

Quotes

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

CBC Canada Reads Finalist

Winner of the Harper Lee Prize and the ArtsNL CBC Emerging Artist of the Year Award

Finalist for the First Novel Award, the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award

Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and the Aspen Words Literary Prize

"The Boat People is a burning flare of a novel, at once incendiary and illuminating. With a rare combination of precision, empathy and insight, Sharon Bala has crafted an unflinching examination of what happens when the fundamental human need for safety collides with the cold calculus of bureaucracy. In the best tradition of fearless literature, it shatters our comfortable illusions about who we really are, reveals just how asymmetrical the privilege of belonging can be. This is a brilliant debut—a story that needs to be told, told beautifully."
—Omar El Akkad, author of American War

"The Boat People is a book perfect for our times, essential reading to bring context to questions which we are, perhaps, more inclined to ignore."
—Toronto Star

"A novel comprised of both beautiful and uncomfortable truths, written by an author who understands there are multiple sides to every issue—and to every human being."
—Globe and Mail

"Probing. . . . Timely."
—The New Yorker

"Timely and engrossing. . . . This is a powerful debut."
—Publishers Weekly

“This earnest debut novel forcefully explores the issues surrounding immigration . . . deeply moving and nuanced, The Boat People asks what price a country is willing to pay when public safety comes at the cost of human lives.”
—Booklist

"A multifaceted debut novel. . . . Cinematic details transport us to a tension-rich drama. . . . Bala moves fluidly from past to present, mixing memories with current crises. . . . Such juxtapositions build and maintain suspense all the way to the last line, where readers are left hanging, as if justice is in our hands."
—BookPage

"The Boat People is full of drama and character, sharp bold sentences and movement of all sorts, global and interior. Gorgeous writing, compassionate and urgent."
—Lisa Moore

“The Boat People is a powerful, gripping moral drama told with deep compassion and humanity. Sharon Bala takes us behind the headlines about refugees and asylum seekers straight into the beating hearts of unforgettable human beings. A timely tale and a beautiful, remarkable debut.”
—Lynne Kutsukake, author of The Translation of Love

“This wise and compassionate novel is an intimate portrait of one of the great humanitarian crises of our time. Its power lies in its breadth, for it examines not just those who come to our country seeking refuge, but also those who determine their fate. As such it implicates us all in the ongoing crisis.”
—Shyam Selvadurai, author of The Hungry Ghosts and Funny Boy

“The Boat People is a beautifully crafted story with a big heart. This novel has an urgency and relevance that cuts to the bone and will resonate with readers of all stripes. Bala offers no easy answers and no political posturing, but her magnificent storytelling will leave readers wondering about their own convictions, asking themselves, ‘What would I do? What would I have done?’ The spirits of Bala’s complicated, well-developed characters will linger with you like ghosts; you will look for them in the newspaper, on the evening news, everywhere, and when you encounter them, you will pause and wonder, not only about them but about yourself.”
—Michael Stone, author of Border Child