Join U of T alumna and author Amita Parikh (HBSC 2006 A&S VIC), as she discusses U of T Virtual Alumni Book Club selection, The Circus Train, moderated by Bryn Turnbull, Instructor, U of T School of Continuing Studies. 

Date: March 12, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

This event is open to all U of T alumni - even if you aren't a member of our book club, we encourage you to attend! Please visit our online portal to learn more.

Alumni can submit questions to the author and moderator through the attendee registration form, and also at the live event. We will do our best to answer all questions. 

Learn more about where you can purchase The Circus Train.

About the Book
Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself.

About the Author
Amita Parikh was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario. She earned an Hons. BSc from the University of Toronto, then spent over a decade working in the tech start-up industry in Europe and Canada.

Apart from being an author, Amita occasionally write for the stage and screen, and dabble in podcasting. She has taken part in a number of merit-based talent schemes, including the selective entry Curtis Brown Creative Writing Course, the Royal Court Theatre’s Writer’s Group and the Edinburgh TV Fest Network Talent Scheme, among others.

Her debut historical fiction novel, The Circus Train, was an instant national bestseller in Canada and is out now everywhere. Amita lives in New York and is represented by Thérèse Coen at Susanna Lea Associates.

About the Moderator
Bryn Turnbull is an internationally bestselling author of historical fiction. Equipped with a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews, a Master of Professional Communication from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record.

Her debut novel, The Woman Before Wallis, was named one of the top ten bestselling works of Canadian fiction for 2020 and became an international bestseller. Her second and third, The Last Grand Duchess and The Paris Deception, both hit the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star bestseller lists. Her fourth novel, The Berlin Apartment, will be released in September 2024, She is an accomplished editor and teaches creative writing with the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.