Gurjinder Basran takes a fascinating look at realities of growing up Indo-Canadian in North Delta
 
By Tracy Sherlock, Vancouver Sun

Everything Was Good-bye By Gurjinder Basran

Gurjinder Basran knows what it's like to be stuck between two cultures and not feel like part of either one. The first-time novelist writes about her experience growing up as an Indo-Canadian in North Delta in her award-winning novel Everything Was Good-bye. The book's main character, Meena, bears some similarity to Basran, but the novel is a work of fiction.

"We have very similar upbringings, Meena and I. I'm the youngest of six daughters, like Meena, and my father died in a similar way to hers," Basran said. "However, outside of that it's really quite fictional. The part that feels very true to me is the duality, you know living between two cultures and not really fitting, or having a sense of freedom or sense of choice in either of them."

Everything Was Good-bye begins when Meena is in high school, and she's feeling a bit rebellious. Her closest friend is Liam, a Canadian boy with an artistic flair who comes from a troubled home. The friendship causes tension between Meena and her mother, but that ends when Liam leaves town.