By Melissa Khan
Young and in love, Sunil and Hima travel from Partition India to foreign Montreal. Sunil, a dreamer, knows he has so much to offer, but early signs of schizophrenia stop him from reaching his potential. Hima, frustrated with how hard her life has become since journeying away from her home, must do what she can to keep her family afloat. Their older sons have left for school, and their youngest, Rani, is left to grow up in a house and a world where she’s unsure of where she fits. Her only solace is through Sensibilité, a popular Québécois band whose political support for a free province influences their music.
Rani becomes obsessed with Serge, the group’s frontman, and is delighted when she one day stumbles upon the opportunity to babysit his adopted daughter, Mélanie. Years later, Mélanie comes to her office where she works as a guidance counsellor and the two women’s lives become tightly interconnected.
This was a surprising book for me. I did not expect the layers of meaning it could hold. The more I think about the story, the more I realize how deeply these characters could relate to each other. My favourite relationship was between Mélanie and Rani, particularly Mélanie’s ability to make Rani understand how special her family’s history is. It’s common for first-generation Canadians to take for granted the journey and sacrifice their parents made to bring them to this country and disregard the culture they left behind. I understood Rani’s impulse to consider herself Canadian, and more so Québécois. But Mélanie’s struggle with her adoption and hunger for the knowledge of where she came from was a refreshing reminder that our past, and our family’s past, stay with us.
I appreciated the parallel drawn between Partition India and the Quebec referendums. Both Sunil and Hima and Rani got to experience their country divided and the hardships that come with such political unrest. Rani’s ignorance of the struggles her parents faced was depicted so well throughout the novel.
This novel was certainly character-driven, and I both loved and hated how disjointed the story could be at times. I found myself forgetting little details while reading, which made some of the story confusing. But I liked that it made each part of the story digestible and easy to read. There wasn’t a ton of plot necessarily but it gave a glimpse of who these characters were at that particular part in their lives.
I truly enjoyed reading A Convergence of Solitudes. It forces the reader to look at each character’s perspective and understand exactly where they are coming from. You must first understand their struggles and frustrations so that you may understand their actions. And we see through their triumphs and small moments of happiness that these are enough for a good life.
Thank you, Book*hug Press, for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.