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  • The Boat People

  • Written by: Sharon Bala
  • Narrated by: Athena Karkanis
  • Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (237 ratings)

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The Boat People cover art

The Boat People

Written by: Sharon Bala
Narrated by: Athena Karkanis
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Publisher's Summary

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 500 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.

©2018 Sharon Bala (P)2018 McClelland & Stewart

What the critics say

" 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 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)

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What listeners say about The Boat People

Average Customer Ratings
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  • A.B
  • 2018-02-04

Fantastic!

The Boat People is a fascinating and thought provoking story. It’s changed the way I see migrants and the legal process they must go through to be admitted into Canada. More than this, it could be any refugee’s story and, as such, is an extremely compelling read (or listen as the case may be) The author weaves this haunting, tragic tale, albeit shocking at times and often disturbing. She has done her research well and paints a vivid picture.
I was completely engrossed in the audio version and couldn’t wait to continue listening and finish the book.
Ms Karkanis does an incredible job as narrator, giving the characters accents and changing her voice with such ease in amongst all the book’s dialogue. She really made it easy to listen to and follow. Don’t be fooled by the meager audio sample- she is a brilliant narrator who brought the book to life.
I would highly recommend this book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • SA
  • 2019-04-21

Important story

Really enjoyed the story - very timely and important to remind ourselves of what the individual stories of immigrant are, and the endless bureaucratic challenges involved in coming to new countries, some more challenging than others. My only real issue is with the accents - they feel a bit racist? I don’t know how to explain - it feels very jarring to listen to a white person do a South Asian accent and it made me uncomfortable. Also apparently all men sound the same and have the same affect? Lol ok.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

simply amazing

The characters in this story continue to haunt me. I'm left feeling desperate for change. The book finshes with a sense of openness... at first I felt cheated by the ending but I am now content with the lack of finality. It gives hope. I am reminded that it was a privilege to be born in Canada but this country is far from perfect. I really hope the future will foster a greater sense of community and compassion.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

terrible book

so boring, book is trash, there are so many other books you can choose from, why choose this

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing ending

Lovely story, but ending was awful. I expected more. Such a shame. It could have been better.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolute must listen

A well told story based on a true story. Well it highlights some shameful history for Canadians, it is a epic story of love and resilience. I was slightly disappointed in the ending but enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interestingly Different

The novel was great overall. The multiple points of views was definitely an interesting take which lead me to always be on the edge of my seat and wonder what was going to happen next regardless of the character.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Ending was disappointing

Too many loose threads that don't get tied up. I think this is a stylistic choice on behalf of the author, but I was so invested in this story that I am sad to feel like there's so much missing from the ending. I did enjoy it up to the end, and the narration was amazing!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Powerful, thought-provoking, brilliantly narrated

Sharon Bala's The Boat People puts you in the shoes of Mahindan, a Tamil refugee father fleeing to Canada with his young son, a young woman articling student of Tamil descent who's pulled into defending the migrants, and a Japanese-Canadian Conservative hack who gets more than she bargains for when she accepts a political appointment to adjudicate refugee claims. Through the book we see each character making tough choices and weighing competing motivations, with Mahindan's journey at the heart of the story.

This book gives the reader a powerful and invaluable opportunity to understand the impossible choices a refugee may have to make just in order to survive, and to reconsider the choices we might make were we in the shoes of the adjudicator. It's an opportunity to consider Canada's historic racism and its parallels in our immigration system today.

Athena Karkanis does an amazing job narrating the audiobook version, respectfully voicing characters from a range of different backgrounds.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Jan
  • 2018-09-30

Problem with the editing

This story jumped back and forward so much in time and locations, so many characters, it was annoying. I was interested because I have sponsored refugees and found what they go through sad but then the story just stopped. Aaaargh! Disappointing all round.

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