For Lindo Forbes, the slow-burn romance of The Inscrutable Mr. Yang is the outgrowth of a practice of creating connection that extends far beyond the page.
Speaking ahead of her appearance at the Festival of Literary Diversity (The FOLD) (on now through May 3, 2026 in Brampton), Forbes traces her latest novel to a “side character” who simply refused to remain peripheral. “We first meet Claudia…in my debut novel The Insufferable Mr. Fletcher, where it is established that she is an unrepentant gossip who struggles with her mental health and generally doesn’t like people,” she explains. “At the time, I didn’t know there’d be anything more to Claudia.” Over time, however, The Inscrutable Mr. Yang (which is the third novel in Forbes’ Queen City Queens series) became the story of how Claudia gained the intel which she provides in the second novel The Indomitable Mr. Temple. And so, “the pairing—of a woman who doesn’t like people, with someone who very exuberantly loves people—was born.”
This opposites-attract dynamic anchors a story that is as attentive to emotional nuance as it is to romantic tension. Claudia Sano, guarded and sometimes overwhelmed by an anxiety disorder, finds herself drawn immediately to Ian Yang, whose generosity and commitment to family reshape her understanding of connection. Forbes is always painstaking in constructing her characters, and was especially so with Claudia: “It is not an experience I share, so it was very important to me to present Claudia’s mental health with care and respect,” she notes. “As a society, we need to be better about taking mental health more seriously”–and this truth is personal, because “there are many people in my life who navigate the world with a brain chemistry that works against them.”
Picking up steam, Forbes marvels at the societal double standard: “If someone has diabetes or asthma, you would give them the grace and accommodations required for them to function. Yet somehow, issues of mental health are simultaneously downplayed and stigmatised.” But she is also able to step back and situate this unfortunate fact within her own experience as “a first generation Canadian of Latine and Caribbean descent.” She observes bluntly that “the ‘nose to the grindstone’ ethos of our elders does us no favours, when weighed against the very real challenges of living in a world that is actively trying to harm us.”
The character of Ian, on the other hand, presents very different—but equally layered—emotional terrain. “With Ian, I wanted to show a man connected to his community and culture stepping in to support his family, at the exact moment his personal life was taking off,” Forbes explains. “A lot of times, this type of work is put on daughters—is expected of them. By giving the responsibility to Ian, I’m acknowledging all the sons who are caregivers.” More than just a romantic hero, he’s a living counterargument: “Pairing him with Claudia, who has been made to feel like a chore,… made their conflict foundational to who they are as individuals.”
The novel’s setting has been developed with equal care because “I am so obnoxiously proud of being from Toronto!” Forbes’ Toronto is a lived-in mosaic defined by its multicultural simultaneity: “It’s a Filipino kid eating doubles from the Trinidadian restaurant… It’s the Jamaican grandma turning her nose up at sushi… It’s the white guy from Newmarket doing his groceries at the Lebanese spot.” The specificity is 100% intentional: “When I write that a character is late to brunch in the Distillery District… I want readers from the GTA to nod and go ‘Yup. Totally!’”
This sense of community extends all the way to Forbes’ relationship with readers—though this is a bit of a work in progress: “I’m still quite early in my author career, and I haven’t quite figured out how to walk the line between genuine engagement and setting boundaries between artist and consumer,” she admits. “That said, I know how many books are out there, and how special it is for someone to choose to spend a couple of hours in the world you crafted.” The thoughtful gestures, sending a gift-wrapped book with a sheet of custom-made stickers to a reader — become part of that exchange: “Whether you find my work trite and forgettable, or dynamic and moving, I’m grateful you took a chance on me.”
Both this philosophy and the focus of her fiction align naturally with FOLD’s mandate. “It is an honour to have been asked back this year,” Forbes states, before praising Jael Richardson and her team for building something “formidable.”: “I’d like to believe it’s because people understand that, fundamentally, diversity of experience is a net positive for us all.”
“And if they don’t, I’ll be happy to point it out as I mingle through the various events!”
Before and after the festival, readers can connect with Forbes and learn more about her work at lindoforbes.com. This year’s FOLD festival details can be found at thefoldcanada.org.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2026
