A Convergence of Solitudes

By Anita Anand

A story of identity, connection and forgiveness, A Convergence of Solitudes shares the lives of two families across Partition of India, Operation Babylift in Vietnam, and two referendums in Quebec.

Sunil and Hima, teenage lovers, bravely defy taboos in pre-Partition India to come together as their country divides in two. They move across the world to Montreal and raise a family, but Sunil shows symptoms of schizophrenia, shattering their newfound peace. As a teenager, their daughter Rani becomes obsessed with Quebecois supergroup Sensibilit?--and, in particular, the band's charismatic, nationalistic frontman, Serge Giglio--whose music connects Rani to the province's struggle for cultural freedom. A chance encounter leads Rani to babysit M?lanie, Serge's adopted daughter from Vietnam, bringing her fleetingly within his inner circle.

Years later, Rani, now a college guidance counselor, discovers that M?lanie has booked an appointment to discuss her future at the school. Unmoved by her father's staunch patriotism and her British mother's bourgeois ways, M?lanie is struggling with deep uncertainty about her identity and belonging. As the two women's lives become more and more intertwined, Rani's fascination with M?lanie's father's music becomes a strange shadow amidst their friendship.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1771667443
• ISBN13: 9781771667449
• Release Date: May 2022
• Publisher: Book*hug Press
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 7.9"