The Ever After of Ashwin Rao

In 2004, almost 20 years after the fatal bombing of an Air India flight from Vancouver that killed 329, two suspects finallyare on trial for the crime. Ashwin Rao, an Indian psychologist trained in Canada, comes back to do a "study of comparative grief," interviewing people who lost loved ones in the attack. What he neglects to mention is that he, too, had family members who died on the plane. Then, to his delight and fear, he becomes embroiled in the lives of one family caught in the undertow of the tragedy, and privy to their secrets. This surprising emotional connection sparks him to confront his own losses. A book of post-9/11 Canada,The Ever After of Ashwin Raoimagines the lasting emotional and political consequences of a real-life act of terror, confronting what we might learn to live with and what we can live without. (From Vintage Canada)

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Author interviews

Giller prize: Padma Viswanathan reads from The Ever After of Ashwin Rao

10 years ago

Duration 2:00

Padma Viswanathan, Giller finalist, reads from her nominated novel The Ever After of Ashwin Rao and describes the moment she thought she didn't make the cut.