“If the statistics are to be believed, we are facing a global refugee crisis. According to the United Nations, there were a staggering 59.5 million people forcibly displaced from their homes by the end of 2014; globally, one in every 122 people is now either a refugee, displaced, or seeking asylum. Unfortunately, facts and figures fade in people’s consciousness unless one is directly affected, or reads an indelible story. Lawrence Hill’s new novel – his first work of fiction in eight years – achieves an immediacy and power unequalled by an onslaught of news broadcasts.
Hill’s fast-paced political thriller is set in two fictional island countries: Zantoroland and Freedom State. The story begins in medias res. Keita Ali is running a marathon in Freedom State, where his presence is illegal, when a competitor on his left barks, “Go home. … Go. Fucking. Home.” Hill’s use of invented countries as settings underscores one of his key themes: our problems are global, not isolated to any single nation.
…Hill’s novel explores many charged issues and questions. Is there hope for reparations of gross violations of human rights? How can people survive – and thrive – when they fail to fit into crisp categories? What does home mean? This novel will, no doubt, remain in readers’ minds, and may help deepen our urgent dialogue about race and immigration.”
Quill and Quire
FREE admission,
Refreshments and snacks provided
We have 7 copies of the book available to borrow from our VPL book club set. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to pick up a copy. Attendees are welcome to buy or borrow their own copy as well 
