The Crossing

About the Book

It is 1983 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a changing political situation is heightening differences between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities. Hari is a twenty-three-year-old Tamil working as a sales agent when he meets Tiziana, an Italian dancer who regularly visits Sri Lanka. As the two become acquainted, quickly fall in love, and learn about each other’s cultures, tensions continue to escalate in Sri Lanka. As Hari reluctantly parts with Tiziana—whom he calls Zina—at the airport a few days later, neither could have ever predicted what would happen next.

After Tamil militants kill soldiers of the Sri Lanka army, riots ensue in Colombo, shattering the serenity of the beautiful island. Angry mobs wreak havoc and destruction throughout Sri Lanka, and the Tamils themselves become targets. Forced to flee his home and confront racism for the first time, Hari can only helplessly watch as his world collapses and brings him face-to-face with the deep-rooted divisions of his society. As he unwittingly becomes entangled in the Tamil struggle, Hari finds work with the UN Refugee Agency and manages to reconnect with Zina—unaware that his choices will eventually lead him down a tragic path.

The Crossing is the fascinating portrait of one man’s painful journey from a peaceful existence into the dark recesses of terrorism during four decades of a militant struggle.

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