Home of the Floating Lily

by Silmy Abdullah

Caught between cultures, immigrant women from a Bangladeshi neighbourhood in Scarborough struggle to navigate their home, relationships, and happiness.

Set in both Canada and Bangladesh, the eight stories in Home of the Floating Lily follow the lives of everyday people as they navigate the complexities of migration, displacement, love, friendship, and familial conflict. A young woman moves to Toronto after getting married but soon discovers her husband is not who she believes him to be. A mother reconciles her heartbreak when her sons defy her expectations and choose their own paths in life. A lonely international student returns to Bangladesh and forms an unexpected bond with her domestic helper. A working-class woman, caught between her love for Bangladesh and her determination to raise her daughter in Canada, makes a life-altering decision after a dark secret from the past is revealed.

In each of the stories, characters embark on difficult journeys in search of love, dignity, and a sense of belonging.


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About the Author

Silmy Abdullah

Silmy Abdullah is a Bangladeshi-Canadian author, lawyer and social justice advocate. Her debut collection of short stories, Home of the Floating Lily, explores the Bangladeshi immigrant experience in Toronto. Set primarily in a Bengali neighbourhood in the Scarborough/East York Area, close to the Danforth and Victoria Park intersection, the stories are inspired by her own lived experience as an immigrant, as well as the work she does in her community as a lawyer. Silmy provides legal services to low-income South Asian clients in Ontario, many of whom are newcomers. Her practice focuses on the intersection of immigration, poverty and gender-based violence. Working on the ground with marginalized communities helps her to find the seeds for incredible stories of love, courage and resilience, and intensify the compassion and empathy with which she writes them. She is a passionate advocate who has spoken on important human rights issues on numerous platforms, including community workshops, mainstream media, the Parliament of Canada and conferences in Canada and overseas.