Caught between cultures, immigrant women from a Bangladeshi neighbourhood in Scarborough struggle to navigate their homes, relationships, and happiness.
Set in Canada and Bangladesh, the eight stories in Home of the Floating Lily follow the lives of everyday people as they navigate the complexities of migration, displacement, love, friendship, and familial conflict.
A young woman moves to Toronto after getting married but soon discovers her husband is not who she believes him to be. A mother reconciles her heartbreak when her sons defy her expectations and choose their own paths in life. A lonely international student returns to Bangladesh and forms an unexpected bond with her domestic helper. A working-class woman, caught between her love for Bangladesh and her determination to raise her daughter in Canada, makes a life-altering decision after a dark secret from the past is revealed.
In each story, characters embark on difficult journeys searching for love, dignity, and a sense of belonging.
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About the Author
Silmy Abdullah is a Bangladeshi-Canadian author, lawyer and social justice advocate. Her debut collection of short stories, Home of the Floating Lily, explores the Bangladeshi immigrant experience in Toronto. Set primarily in a Bengali neighbourhood in the Scarborough/East York Area, close to the Danforth and Victoria Park intersection, the stories are inspired by her own lived experience as an immigrant and the work she does in her community as a lawyer.
Silmy provides legal services to low-income South Asian clients in Ontario, including many newcomers. Her practice focuses on the intersection of immigration, poverty and gender-based violence. Working on the ground with marginalized communities helps her find the seeds for incredible stories of love, courage, and resilience, and it intensifies the compassion and empathy she writes about them. She is a passionate advocate who has spoken on important human rights issues on numerous platforms, including community workshops, mainstream media, the Parliament of Canada and conferences in Canada and overseas.
