By Georgia FreeFriday 31 May 2024Hope Book ClubBooksReading Time: 4 minutes
How far would you go for love, for a home, for safety?
Key points:
- Safe Haven shows the remarkable strength of the human spirit – and reminds us that we all belong to each other.
- Despite the candid examination of Australia’s immigration policies, the novel is filled with humanity, hope and love.
- Listen to the full episode in the player above, on the Hope 103.2 app, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to join the Hope Book Club Facebook community.
Author and social justice lawyer Shankari Chandran answers those questions in her new novel Safe Haven – a mystery set against the backdrop of a fictional offshore detention centre, off the Australian coast.
A harrowing examination of Australia’s immigration policies, Safe Haven also shows the remarkable strength of the human spirit – and reminds us that we all belong to each other.
Shankari joined Georgia on the latest episode of Hope Book Club to discuss the novel, how her work in human rights law influences her writing and how elements of faith and spirituality guide her characters through the darkest of times.
Fighting against stereotypes
“The initial emotional inspiration [for the book] came from the Biloela family,” Shankari told Hope Book Club.
“But going one step back from that, when I moved back to Australia in 2009 [from London], the rhetoric of ‘boat people’ and ‘queue jumpers’ was very powerful.
“And I found that really concerning, it felt like xenophobia being politely wrapped in the language of border security.”
Safe Haven shows the remarkable strength of the human spirit – and reminds us that we all belong to each other.
It’s a feeling that Shankari knows all too well.
She has witnessed firsthand her own Sri Lankan heritage weaponised by the Australian government, as many Sri Lankans travelled to Australia by boat to seek asylum during the civil war, which only officially ended in 2009.
But, despite the candid examination of Australia’s immigration policies, the novel also is filled with humanity, hope and love.
“It was important to be to be honest about human nature – in both the ugliness of it, but into in the extraordinary beauty and greatness of it,” Shankari said.
Despite the candid examination of Australia’s immigration policies, the novel is filled with humanity, hope and love.
“Too often, we focus on what’s wrong and allow ourselves to spiral into the pain and injustice of that.
“But then the question comes – how do you fight to change it? What is it that we’re heading towards? And that all comes from a place of generosity and kindness and strength.
“In this novel, I wanted to remember the truth of that and elevate it.”
Shankari Chandran, author of Safe Haven caught up with Hope Book Club’s Georgia Free.
About Safe Haven
Arriving in Australia seeking asylum, Sri Lankan Catholic nun Fina dedicates herself to aiding the refugees who are held in Port Camden, a remote island outpost. Over time she settles into a life within a community of like-minded people, finding a new family, far from her original home. After she speaks out for those being detained, Fina becomes the focus of a media storm that leads to her arrest, and the threat of deportation.
When a security officer dies under suspicious circumstances, Lucky, a special investigator, arrives to uncover the truth. The mystery is tied to Fina’s fate—and the secrets she reveals will divide the town and the nation. Safe Haven is about displacement and seeking refuge—but ultimately it is a story about finding home—and the lengths you’ll go to find safety and love.
About Shankari Chandran
Shankari Chandran is the author of books such as Song of the Sun God, The Barrier and Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, which won the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Shankari was raised in Canberra, before spending a decade in London, working as a lawyer in the social justice field. She eventually returned home to Australia, where she now lives with her husband and four children.
Listen to the full episode in the player above, on the Hope 103.2 app, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to join the Hope Book Club Facebook community.
Article supplied with thanks to Georgia Free. Georgia is a scientist-turned-radio presenter, who has been at Hope 103.2 since 2018. Graduating with a chemistry degree, her (minor) existential crisis unexpectedly landed her a job as producer of Hope Breakfast. Since then, Georgia has also hosted Hope Weekends, and currently hosts the Hope Book Club and Finding Hope podcasts.
All images used with permission.