Someone You Love Is Gone

• How losing a parent inspired Gurjinder Basran's latest novel

Haunted by visions of her recently departed mother,Simran is unable to move on. Grappling with the growing estrangement of her sister and daughter as well as the disintegration of her marriage, she wonders how her life has come to this. As the life she has carefully constructed unravels, she is forced to confront one of her most painful childhood memories her parents sending her younger brother away from home.

• 'It wasn't a joyful process.' Gurjinder Basran discusses writing her sophomore novel

Woven throughout are memories of Simran's mother as a young woman in 1960s India. Her world had seemed beautiful and full of hope then. But when an unexpected event occurs, the results will have repercussions for generations to come.

As the ghosts from the past clamour for attention, the only way to put them to rest may be for Simran to dig deeper into her family history and close the circle that was left open when her family was torn apart. (From Viking Canada)

From the book

Interviews