What We Carry Forward by Aithal

 

My first read  by this author (India Was One) was fifteen years ago, and every subsequent book since has delighted me in a different way—be it his fiction, science fiction, autobiography or now this short-story collection.

Here we have four novellas (See About the Book below): one compares two women, decades apart, and the lengths they go to in shaping their appearance to survive; another follows a young gay man in a deeply intolerant community (and family), who finds an ally in the most unexpected place; the third centres on a student facing a tough choice about his future—one that means choosing between continents. And then there’s the story about the lion. That’s all I’ll say about that one. It’s too much of a gem to spoil. Diverse though the stories are, they are connected by ‘what we carry forward.’

Each novella has something special. They’re emotional, poignant and quietly thought-provoking, clearly Aithal’s aim, achieved with exceptional skill.

See Also:

A Stroke of Luck: My Journey through a Traumatic Brain Injury
Beyond The Milky Way
Confessions of an Indian Immigrant