THE BOAT PEOPLE

by Sharon Bala
 
Before explaining why The Boat People wasn’t my cup of tea, I must point out that it speaks to the current political moment with heartbreaking power.  One of several protagonists is a man being held in a detention center in Canada after fleeing Sri Lanka, and being separated from his son.  If you are someone who likes to dig into a distressing topic, then this might just be your cup of tea.
 
My issue with the book is the relentlessness of the heartbreak, and the speed (or lack thereof) that the story moves.  I often felt stuck in the same quagmire as the characters with no light at the end of the tunnel.  Even at the end of the book, what little resolution there is, isn't satisfying.  The answer to one of the plot’s biggest mysteries passed by almost without my noticing.
 
The story Bala is telling is an important one, and based on real events.  But the way she tells it is not engaging, and frankly, too brutal and unremitting for me.  (Lily)