Like the bright, sharp images we attribute to the ubiquitous social media influencers, Deepa Rajagopalan’s first book is a beautiful series of snapshots that allude to colourful lives. Unlike those preening Insta-portraits, though, Peacocks of Instagram has depth of flavour threaded throughout the series of fourteen stories she shares with us here.
Although I enjoyed all of the stories — rare to truly say about any collection of short stories — I do have my favourites.
“A Thing With Many Legs” is heartbreaking and powerful as fresh wounds often are — exploring the impact of western/capitalist priorities on those with less privilege during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is still raw but remains a necessary conversation (and provides a nice serving of “just desserts” at the end).
In “Rahel”, we get an empowering feminist tale, told from the perspective of the male lover, that takes a 90-degree turn in the last pages. (Perhaps the twist will be obvious to others, but I am perennially stunned by any movie twist, and I enjoy the surprise.)
In “Singing for the Gods”, we get a battle between old world and ways with burgeoning legacy, drawn in the tale of a young religious acolyte vying to supplant the celebrated celebrant. (And, as one of the last stories in the collection, it is well-positioned to tie together the underlying tension between the old and the new.)
Throughout it all, Rajagopalan shares her wit and appreciation for the beauty around us with warmth, even when talking about the real drama and tragedy perfusing these stories of displacement, class difference, and privilege.
Rajagopalan shares her wit and appreciation for the beauty around us with warmth, even when talking about the real drama and tragedy perfusing these stories of displacement, class difference, and privilege.
In fact — and perhaps my only complaint — is that some of the stories were over after a few pages. I would have happily read longer versions, but not because she does a poor job of developing character quickly. She also chooses to distally link the stories; a character, central or supporting, becomes the sister or cherished friend of a new story’s character. It’s not necessary by any means for a collection of short stories to do that, but I found it was an effective choice. It underscores how many of these individual narratives of immigration and displacement share the tension of being pulled between two worlds, each with vastly different social rules and priorities, and how delicately straining it is to attempt a balance the two.
DEEPA RAJAGOPALAN won the 2021 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies such as the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, the New Quarterly, Room, the Malahat Review, Event, and Arc Poetry Magazine. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Guelph. Born to Indian parents in Saudi Arabia, she has lived in many cities across India, the US, and Canada.
Publisher: House of Anansi Press (May 7, 2024)
Paperback 7″ x 5.5″ | 256 pages
ISBN: 9781487012403
