''The Illegal'' is a novel by Canadian writer

Lawrence Hill Lawrence Hill (born January 24, 1957) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, and memoirist. He is known for his 2007 novel '' The Book of Negroes,'' inspired by the Black Loyalists given freedom and resettled in Nova Scotia by the British after the ...

. It was published in 2015 by Harper-Colilins.

Synopsis

The novel's central character is Keita Ali, a marathon runner from the fictional

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

nation of Zantoroland. The story follows Ali as he desperately tries to save his only sibling, who has been kidnapped.

Critical response

The novel won the 2016 edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

'', making Hill the first writer to win the competition twice. Prior to its publication, the novel was optioned for film treatment by

Conquering Lion Pictures Conquering Lion Pictures (CLP) is an independent Canadian film production company founded by Clement Virgo and Damon D'Oliveira. Virgo and D'Oliveira met in 1991 while studying at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), and formed CLP while working on ''Rud ...

, the producers of the miniseries adaptation of Hill's prior novel '' The Book of Negroes''."Forthcoming Lawrence Hill novel The Illegal optioned for film". ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', June 29, 2015. The French translation , by Carole Noël and

Marianne Noël-Allen Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed ...

, was shortlisted for the

Governor General's Award for English to French translation This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for English-to-French translation awarded by the Governor-General of Canada. Winners and nominees 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s References {{Governor General's Literar ...

at the

2017 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2017 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 4, 2017,

References

2015 Canadian novels HarperCollins books Novels by Lawrence Hill {{2010s-novel-stub