In a near-future New York subject to an increasingly authoritarian and hostile government, Laek, a non-conformist history teacher, finds that he can no longer hide his radical past. After a brutal confrontation with the NYPD, he flees the United States with Janie, an activist lawyer, and their two kids, Siri and Simon. They cross the border by bicycle into Québec by posing as eco-tourists. In a Montréal that the future has also transformed, the family faces new challenges: convincing the authorities to grant them refugee status and integrating into Québec society. Will they find safety in their new home? Told from the points of view of the four family members, Cycling to Asylum is a unique work of interstitial fiction from Su J. Sokol, an exciting new Montreal author.
Whatv People Are Saying
"Sokol excels at narrating real-life relationships, capturing natural nuance, letting her characters live life in the small, hungry ways that we all do." New Perspectives on Canadian Literature "Written with honesty, aching precision and tons of heart." Stereo Embers Magazine
"Told in four voices ... this story is layered rather than simply linear." The Ottawa Review of Books
"You will find yourself turning pages faster than your imagination can keep up." Hot Indie News
About the Author
Su J. Sokol is a Montreal activist, a cyclist, and a writer of speculative and interstitial fiction. Originally from Brooklyn, Sokol studied law and philosophy before becoming a community lawyer specializing in housing. She immigrated to Canada in 2004 and now lives in Montreal with her family. Sokol works for a community organization as a social rights advocate. Her short stories have been published in Spark: A Creative Anthology and The Future Fire. Cycling to Asylum is her first novel.