However Far Away

However Far Away

A Novel

A sweeping family saga set against the backdrop of a Sikh wedding.

On the morning of his nephew’s wedding, Devinder Gill is certain the delicate balance of his life will not be upset. Dev is married to Kuldip, and together they are raising two young children in Vancouver. But Dev also has a secret: an affair with his first love, an Irish Canadian woman named Emily Rice. Today, both women will attend the wedding.

As the day progresses through the traditional marriage rituals, the circumstances that led to this precarious situation are revealed through the alternating perspectives of Devinder, Emily, and Kuldip. Dev fails to recognize the building threats—an unwelcome guest, a wandering daughter, a repentant father—and by day’s end must accept that he does not have the control over his life that he imagined.

A stunning debut by a talented new voice, However Far Away is an unforgettable story about family secrets, painful compromises, and the promises we break to ourselves and others.

A sweeping family saga set against the backdrop of a Sikh wedding.

On the morning of his nephew’s wedding, Devinder Gill is certain the delicate balance of his life will not be upset. Dev is married to Kuldip, and together they are raising two young children in Vancouver. But Dev also has a secret: an affair with his first love, an Irish Canadian woman named Emily Rice. Today, both women will attend the wedding.

As the day progresses through the traditional marriage rituals, the circumstances that led to this precarious situation are revealed through the alternating perspectives of Devinder, Emily, and Kuldip. Dev fails to recognize the building threats—an unwelcome guest, a wandering daughter, a repentant father—and by day’s end must accept that he does not have the control over his life that he imagined.

A stunning debut by a talented new voice, However Far Away is an unforgettable story about family secrets, painful compromises, and the promises we break to ourselves and others.

Published By House of Anansi Press Inc — Aug 6, 2024
Specifications 368 pages | 5.25 in x 8 in
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Excerpt
Written By

RAJINDERPAL S. PAL is a critically acclaimed writer and stage performer. He is the author of two collections of award-winning poetry, pappaji wrote poetry in a language i cannot read and pulse. Born in India and raised in Great Britain, Pal has lived in many cities across North America and now resides in Toronto. However Far Away is his first novel.

Written By

RAJINDERPAL S. PAL is a critically acclaimed writer and stage performer. He is the author of two collections of award-winning poetry, pappaji wrote poetry in a language i cannot read and pulse. Born in India and raised in Great Britain, Pal has lived in many cities across North America and now resides in Toronto. However Far Away is his first novel.

“Empathy runs like a current through this rich debut novel … However Far Away is a bold look at the consequences of making-and not making-important decisions.” — Apple Books

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"However Far Away is an understated, nuanced portrait of complicated relationships.” — British Columbia Review

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"However Far Away is a restrained and precise exploration of the fragile threads that hold so much of life together. Rajinderpal S. Pal expertly wields a fractured narrative of a looming wedding and its constellation of guests and participants to show how often love and duplicity intersect. What results is a beautiful debut novel about the calamitous aftereffects of decisions made and unmade, secrets kept and spilled." —Omar El Akkad, Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning author of What Strange Paradise

” —Omar El Akkad, Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning author of What Strange Paradise