REASONS WE BREAK

Simran and Rajan couldn’t be more different—she’s a gifted student, obedient daughter, and pride of the close-knit Kelowna, British Columbia, Punjabi community; he’s a delinquent with a gang affiliation, seemingly destined to “become a statistic.”

They met in grade eight, when Simran tutored Rajan in math, treating him kindly even as he spiraled into crime and addiction. When they meet again at 18, he’s out on probation, and she’s college-bound and struggling with her mother’s cancer diagnosis and the burden of family expectations. Caught between her growing attraction for Rajan and her strained relationship with her mother and sister, Simran impulsively steps in to manage the accounts for the Lions, Rajan’s gang, entering the dangerous world of drug trafficking and territorial wars and testing her ties with family and friends. But her talent for numbers becomes a liability—the Lions refuse to let her go, while rival gang the Aces threaten her. With their lives on the line, and their families turned against them, Simran and Rajan race to save each other’s lives, at the risk of destroying their own. Deo skillfully blends an exploration of gang culture in migrant communities with a swoony, slow-burn romance. She also examines the impact of a conservative, insular culture on second-generation immigrants who experience both the comfort of belonging and hostility if they fail to conform. The characters are well developed and believable, and Rajan’s redemptive arc is especially satisfying.

Engrossing and insightful.