Author Gaurav Kumar recently launched his debut non-fiction novel ‘Keeping up with Kaneda’, which has received critical appreciation from initial reviewers.
The book is based on the experiences the author had when he left India to study abroad in Canada.
Infused with humour, wit and appropriate sarcasm, the book provides a first person point of view of an immigrant who arrives in a foreign country with many hopes and equally as many trepidations. The journey also leads the author on an unexpected path of self discovery, which resonates with his experience of navigating life in a land unfamiliar to him.
Every year, thousands of students from India go to Canada to study and many of them eventually prefer to migrate there permanently. ‘Keeping up with Kaneda’ acts a guide for those contemplating this move as it details out the struggles one has to undergo in Canada as well as highlights the common luxuries which attracts so many people from all over the world.
Gaurav narrates how after completing his engineering, he feels unsatisfied with his first job. In hopes of landing a better one, he decides to bag a Canadian degree.
When he reaches there he finds the country teeming with migrants from all over the world who have come to the hallowed land in hopes of carving a better future.
As a student, he also has to shoulder the responsibilities of rent and other amenities, which leads him to do odd jobs and lands him in absurd situations.
His journey is an adventure-packed comedic run which also acts as an eye-opener for many who hope to make the shift from India to Canada.
Speaking about the book, Kumar says, “My humorous misadventures in Canada have shaped me into the individual I am today. A mosaic of cultures, this book will make you see Canada as a country from a whole new perspective. It's quirks and uniqueness from an Indian's perspective will resonate with everyone.”
The book has been well received by eminent reviewers like Shobhaa De, Rajiv Makhni, Sachin Garg, Shikha Kumar, and others, who have appreciated Kumar’s unapologetic frank style of writing.
