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. (From House of Anansi Press)

However Far Away is on the longlist for Canada Reads 2025. The final five books and the panellists who chose them will be revealed on Jan. 23, 2025.

Rajinderpal S. Pal is a writer and stage performer based in Toronto. He has written the poetry collections pappaji wrote poetry in a language i cannot read and pulse.

"I wanted a story that was sort of steeped in the Canadian Sikh culture," said Rajinderpal S. Pal on in an interview on The Next Chapter. "When I thought about what kind of defines Canadian Sikh culture, wedding days are also extremely important in the culture."

"It's a multi-day event and lavish parties, lavish receptions. Almost a game of one-up-manship. If your son or daughter is getting married, it has to be bigger and better than somebody else's son or daughter's weddings, right? So that's what drew me to centering it around the wedding day. It also gives me a way of introducing so many aspects of the culture."