{"product_id":"asylum-by-channa-wickremesekera","title":"'Asylum' by Channa Wickremesekera","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-8 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"LR5Y_W_content markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full dark markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 dir=\"auto\"\u003eSet in suburban Melbourne, \u003cem\u003eAsylum\u003c\/em\u003e is a swift read about an Afghan-Australian Muslim family whose ordinary domestic life is abruptly invaded by a teenage fugitive.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eSeventeen-year-old Khalid narrates: preoccupied with footy, girls, his phone, his mother’s cooking and the usual irritation of family life, he is hardly preparing for a moral crisis when an armed boy arrives at the house with police closing in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eWickremesekera uses that collision to test the assumptions built around religion, migration, race and belonging without turning the book into a solemn exercise in “issues.” The novel is driven instead by Khalid’s irreverent adolescent voice and by the contradictions within the family itself. Their faith is sincere but argued with, cultural identity is lived rather than presented as fixed, and hospitality becomes unexpectedly political once sheltering someone carries consequences. The result is a compact piece of Australian migrant fiction interested less in neat cultural opposition than in what happens when different moral systems are forced into the same room. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePalaver \/ Ethica Projects, Armadale, Victoria, 2015. First Palaver edition. Paperback. Light shelf wear and minor marks to covers; internally clean and firmly bound. Very good condition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50542361509971,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/womenintranslation-2026-09-25T195851.697.png?v=1790330401","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/asylum-by-channa-wickremesekera","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}