Thambi Navaratnam is a young Tamil living with his mother and brother in Scarborough. He wholeheartedly intends to avoid the fate of his brother: arranged marriage. But it’s all anyone can talk about. Marriage…marriage…marriage. To add fuel to the fire, his father, who has been separated from their family for more than twenty-five years is finally escaping Sri Lanka and coming to Toronto. The problem: none of them know that Thambi has been seeing a white woman who wants nothing more than what she has. The pressure only builds from there as the days towards the wedding count down. A first in Canadian fiction, The Panic Button is a heartfelt story, cut to the bone and told with verve, about the pains and pleasures of immigrant Tamil life.
“Lucid, confident and immensely engaging, Koom Kankesan’s The Panic Button presents a fresh and frank new voice that opens a fascinating window upon Tamil culture while retaining a warmth and humour that is universal. Recommended.”