pickSuch a powerful collection of 13 short stories: almost all with South Asian/Canadian characters reflecting complex issues related to queerness, family and relationships, racism, transformation out of oppressive identities and expectations (hence “Chrysalis”), abuse, and paranormal/Magical realism/spiritual elements. Each one is very different, and a few fall flat for me, but the lyricism and deep explorations of complex issues are captivating.
Somewhere in the city, the family into whose hands I was born mourns the boy I never was, fails to see who I am, who I've always been. The failure is theirs, not mine, and I am strong enough to let them go, to speak of my body with gentle words, to make of myself a woman who is sparkling and strange and whole. There is space for all these things. This too, after all, is love.
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
“The first time lightning struck Bhupati's shrine to Goddess Lakshmi, it set her face on fire.”
Chrysalis | 
