India

Peacock in the Snow by Anubha Mehta

Born to privilege and wed to her high school sweetheart Veer, a free-spirited Maya feels trapped in a conventional upper-class family with patriarchal expectations in India. Curiosity leads Maya to unearth a dark family secret, a brutal ancestral murder which begins to haunt her and also affect her new marriage.

The Pratap Reddy Interview

Pratap Reddy is the author of two books, 2018's Ramya's Treasure and his 2016 collection of short stories Weather Permitting and Other Stories. Both books are published by Montreal's Guernica Editions and were also longlisted here at The Miramichi Reader for "The Very Best!" Book Award for Fiction.

Ramya’s Treasure by Pratap Reddy

Poor Ramya. A Hindu woman in her late 40’s finds herself out of work (due to downsizing), separated from her husband, childless and nearly friendless. Plus, she is suffering from depression. So much so that she cannot even motivate herself to fill out her papers to get EI assistance. This is the state we meet Ramya in at the beginning of Ramya’s Treasure, Pratap Reddy’s first novel, which follows on the heels of his captivating compilation of short stories, Weather Permitting and Other Stories, published in 2016.… Continue reading

Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons by Jocelyn Cullity

There are certain books – not many- that I pick up to read and soon put down, not because I don’t fancy them, but I simply didn’t feel it was the right time (for either the book or me) to read it. Such was the case with Jocelyn Cullity’s Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons (2017, Inanna Publications). At the time I was not ready to read a book with exotic names and a locale I was not familiar with.… Continue reading

Outside People and Other Stories by Mariam Pirbhai

Mariam Pirbhai was born in Pakistan and lived in England and the Philippines before emigrating to Canada. She lives in Waterloo, Ontario, where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Film Studies, at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her short stories have also appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals. Outside People and Other Stories (2017, Inanna Publications) is her debut collection of short fiction.… Continue reading

Layla in the Sky With Diamonds by Manbeena Bhullar Sandhu

Manbeena Bhullar Sandhu holds a degree in substance abuse and addictions, and a master’s degree in English literature. She is an addictions counsellor and currently lives and works in Toronto. This is her first book.

Layla in the Sky With Diamonds (2017, Archway Publishing) is a book containing several themes, but primarily the late 1960’s counterculture, drug addictions and the search for spirituality that followed the death of the Hippies.… Continue reading

A Matter of Geography by Jasmine D’Costa

Matter of Geography, which was shortlisted in 2015 for the Tuscany Prize for unpublished manuscripts has now been published by Mosaic Press. The story is an impressive one dealing as it does with the religious divisions in India between Muslims and Hindus, the fallout of which affects peoples of other religions such as Christians and Jews. A Matter of Geography takes place in Bombay in 2008-2009 but flashes back in time as Peter, the storyteller here, recalls growing up in the large Billimoria Building with all sorts of families as well as religions.… Continue reading