When the River Meets the Sea

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(246 242 238 1); color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>'When The River Meets the Sea' is a historical fiction told through the perspective of a young girl living in 1971 East Pakistan now Bangladesh during an impending civil war. The story explores the complex cultural dynamics within a family set in a country that gained independence years after British colonization and still carries the legacy of that history. It portrays the idyllic life of a young girl disrupted by civil war just before she escapes the invading Pakistani army. The story provides insight into the cultural struggles faced by children in post-colonial nations referring to the children as 'dou nas laa'-a racially derogatory term for Anglo-Indian children of mixed British and Indian heritage. As the author redefines this word she explores her own cultural identity. Through conversations with her parents self-reflection and nature-inspired analogies she builds her new socio-spiritual identity.</span></p>