Written with great humour and self-awareness, Koh-i-Noor is a satirical coming-of-age tale about a well-intentioned youth determined to change the world.

It’s 2011 on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, and Sean Lohan is at a crossroads. The son of Colorado Buddhists, Sean wonders if he should accept his parents’ offer to join their natural cosmetics company or venture out on his own. When an art history professor opens Sean’s eyes to the contradictions of capitalism, he realizes he can’t avoid or transcend his own personal dilemmas and instead chooses to face them head-on.

Sean’s ultimate decision to found a social enterprise leads him to China. At the same time, his close friend Jerry becomes entangled in a Google-like tech enterprise in California, and his girlfriend Samantha pursues her own high-minded interventions in Cuba—each path leading to increasingly risky and complex outcomes. 

In the roving literary style of Thomas Pynchon and Mathias Énard, this enthralling debut offers readers a fast-paced adventure through the diverging nuances of economics, spirituality, and extraction. In a period of increasing uncertainty, Koh-i-Noor is a timely doomscroll through four decades of globalization, generational change, and the search for one’s own values.