Twelve stories that provide startling glimpses of contemporary life in Bombay, and elsewhere. A wealthy business woman compelled by the desire to hurt her best friend; an old woman in a Tokyo apartment seeking the touch of a baby's hand; a woman reflecting on violence as a riot rages outside her home. Tales about friendship and repulsion, family ties and freedom; violence, public and private; ambition and uncertainty, alienation and acceptance, growing up and growing old.
Oh my heart, it is difficult to live here; step aside, be careful, this is Bombay, my beloved.
"These are stories that provide the genuine flavour and taste of India, and other exotic locales. Whether we are privy to the private conversations of three young women plotting a desperate act in Bombay, imagining the details and scents of a British/tropical teahouse, or feeling a young wife's longing for the excitement of rioters in the streets, we meet true-to-life characters imbued with interest and complexity. These are rich stories, well-imagined, deeply felt."
Mark Frutkin, winner of the 2006 Trillium Award