Canadian Author Publishes Historical Fiction Novel

(PRLeap.com) "The Songs of Distant Waves", a new book by Sunil Tantirige, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.

The mid-1970s marked a pivotal chapter in the history of Sri Lanka, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean, grappling with a stagnant economy, political turbulence, and rising ethnic tensions. Widely regarded as the prelude to the decades-long civil conflict that followed, this turbulent era profoundly reshaped the country and its people.

Set against this backdrop, "The Songs of Distant Waves" follows the lives of Saman and Savi, two teenagers from a middle-class suburb of Colombo whose first love unfolds just as the certainties of their sheltered upbringing begin to unravel. As they navigate a society defined by deep social divisions, their journey, and that of their close-knit group of friends, reveals how personal destinies can be irrevocably altered by the forces of history.

Told with warmth, humour, and poignancy, the novel captures the essence of middle-class Sri Lankan life in vivid tropical colour. Readers are transported to a time and place often idealized as a paradise, yet shaped by undercurrents as restless as the ocean waves that echo through the story. Blending memory and imagination, the narrative paints such an immersive portrait that even those familiar with the era may find themselves questioning where fact ends and fiction begins.

"The Songs of Distant Waves" is the second book by Sunil Tantirige, whose debut, "The House of a Thousand Memories" (2019), offered an intimate autobiographical look at his childhood and youth in Sri Lanka. Tantirige now resides in Toronto, bringing his rich cultural heritage and lived experience to his storytelling.

For readers seeking a moving, atmospheric tale of love, memory, and transformation, "The Songs of Distant Waves" offers an unforgettable journey into a defining moment of Sri Lanka's past.

"The Songs of Distant Waves" is a 228-page paperback with a retail price of $19.00 (eBook $14.00). The ISBN is 979-8-89649-227-6. Published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy or author interview, please visit

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