Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Review: The Boat People by Sharon Bala

The Boat People by Sharon Bala

The Boat People by Sharon Bala might best be reviewed after tonight's State of the Union address... The Boat People tells the story of immigration from three different viewpoints... VERY different viewpoints. There's no denying the political message behind this read, but instead of focusing there, I'll begin with a good ol' simple review. 
For me, the most prolific character was Mahindan. He arrives to Canada's shores with his 6 year old son with the hopes of beginning a new life. He and the others on the boat are escaping to Canada due to the civil war that lasted around 26 years. I will not provide a history lesson here but suffice it to say, there was a group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, that wanted to create a liberated state for the Tamil people. They perceived a lot of inequality from the Sri Lankan government which ultimately disenfranchised them. Ultimately, they waged war on the government and these wars led to a lot of casualties. 

I digressed there a little bit.

Mahindan hopes to begin a new life in Canada with his son. After a harrowing journey across the ocean, he steps foot onto Canadian soil and is placed into jail. Although these holding sites aren't referred to as jails, they are barred with no freedom. Mahindan's son is taken from him and placed with another woman from the boat and they remain this way as months pass by. 

During their time in camp, their papers were heavily scrutinized by the Canadian officials because they had reason to suspect that the LTTE boarded the ship in the hopes of playing out terrorist acts in Canada. Mahindan and others from the boat are interviewed scrupulously. 

**Note to readers-I refuse to call these characters "Boat People". I believe once we are diminished to a skin color, race, geography, sex, or what have you, we're no longer seeing a human being but rather, a non-human that doesn't deserve any rights.** 

Sharon Bala allows us to see different viewpoints such as the lawyers that are on Mahindan's side and the adjudicators against him and the others displaced. I enjoyed reading about them and their lives as well. Grace is responsible for making sure she thoroughly checks out the newly arrived. She takes her job very serious because she feels she is responsible for any person that might be harmed because she didn't do her job. Even in the face of all evidence suggesting the refugees are telling the truth, she gives a new meaning to the word gatekeeper.

I don't envy her nor her job. 

I'm no bleeding heart liberal that suggests we just open up all the doors, but c'mon! I do have a heart. Let me get on my soapbox for one moment and say how shitty these situations are. My ancestors didn't have a choice in coming here, I get it! That's ancient history. But I've heard the argument time and time again, well if you don't like it here, go back to your own country. Many people of color hear this same retort. It seems that this country is only inviting to people of certain colors or those who came here the "right way". 

The "right way" is also thrown about by other immigrants in The Boat People. My grandfather was Jamaican, and he came here the "right way" but he would never fix his mouth (God rest his soul) to say others shouldn't reap the benefits of beginning a life somewhere else. 

I mean... after the North disenfranchised many countries and left them to what was left of their pillaged lands we have the nerve to say they come from "shit" countries...

WOOSAHHHHH....

See!?!?!! Sharon Bala touches on a lot of arguments and raises a lot of points in the case of immigration. During the current political and social climate in the States makes someone like me ripe with anger when reading this and then watching the news. I just need to take a step back and realize The Boat People might be someone's story, but at this time, it's fictional. It's actually a good work of fiction that I really enjoyed. When I wasn't thinking about immigration I was wondering about the Sri Lankan Civil War. Ultimately, Bala creates an engulfing story that many will find engrossing.

Yes it will boil your skin at times. Sure you might want to root for those who have allowed fear to keep our respective countries less diverse. Essentially, I really enjoyed The Boat People and look forward to reading more by Sharon Bala.  ****

Copy Provided by Doubleday Books via Netgalley

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