Canada in the 1990s. The approaching referendum on Quebec sovereignty is threatening to cleave the country in two, while a family struggles with the aftermath of a tragedy that changes their lives forever.

After losing his parents, Steve Horvath is taken in by his aunt Paula. But how can a woman guide her teenaged nephew through the most tumultuous years of his life, when she faces her own crises? And how can a country mend a rift hundreds of years in the making?

Montreal in the mid-1990s sets the stage for the this thoughtful character study on the dynamics of identity, culture, and cohesion, of a family and country in turmoil.

Terry Ades was born in Egypt and brought up in the bilingual city of Montreal. While her first language is French, she was obliged to attend English school. After receiving a degree in creative writing, her intention to author stories was derailed when as a young mother, she lost her eyesight. No longer able to read her narratives, she gave up on writing. Multiple surgeries and the aid of 31-point font later, she completed several short stories and two novels. She was awarded first prize in McGill Street Magazine's "Writes of Passage" competition for "Part of a Small Left Eye", a short story based on her experience. A still-to-be-published novel was a semi-finalist in the Chapters/Robertson Davies First Novel contest.

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“[A]n astute novel about growth, identity, family connections, and the revolution that can happen when these are broken and changed.”

Midwest Book Review

“Ades writes with a sharpness and pathos that gets to the heart of the characters and offers moving scenes of struggle: a teenage boy bereft of family, a middle-aged man seeking dignity, a woman burdened with unexpected responsibility. The novel’s import is also tied to the seismic shifts at play in Quebecois politics and regarding Canada’s future as a united country.”

Blueink Review

“Ades broaches with humor, occasional banter, and deep sensitivity the complexity of embracing one’s identity amid cultural divides, socioeconomic struggles, discrimination, and governmental decisions that affect complicated families…How People See magnifies often overlooked familial nuances, challenging readers’ perceptions of cultural differences, existence.”

Publisher’s Weekly