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Refuge: Stories of War
'Superb. An incandescent, charged and propulsive work. I inhaled this collection. It's a testament to Sunny Singh's considerable talents as a writer' Irenosen Okojie
Nur and Abid relearn to love after they escape from war. Marie, who keeps the women of the village from giving birth to children borne of war, finds herself in a situation she hasn't faced before. In a London park, an ageing MI-6 official discovers that the woman he meets every day may not be what she seems. Lyndsey's bouquets of twenty-seven tulips hold the secret of her dark past and a soldier adorns herself in jewels as she prepares for a final mission.
Spanning both decades and continents, Refuge turns its lens on those who are often overlooked in stories about women and children, civilians forced out of their homes in terror, those who wait for their brave soldiers to come home, and soldiers who commit unspeakable violence. this powerful collection simultaneously delves into the darkest parts of the human psyche whilst being an ode to humanity's ability to endure, love and retain dignity and compassion.
Nur and Abid relearn to love after they escape from war. Marie, who keeps the women of the village from giving birth to children borne of war, finds herself in a situation she hasn't faced before. In a London park, an ageing MI-6 official discovers that the woman he meets every day may not be what she seems. Lyndsey's bouquets of twenty-seven tulips hold the secret of her dark past and a soldier adorns herself in jewels as she prepares for a final mission.
Spanning both decades and continents, Refuge turns its lens on those who are often overlooked in stories about women and children, civilians forced out of their homes in terror, those who wait for their brave soldiers to come home, and soldiers who commit unspeakable violence. this powerful collection simultaneously delves into the darkest parts of the human psyche whilst being an ode to humanity's ability to endure, love and retain dignity and compassion.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2025
6 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Sunny Singh
13 books39 followersSunny Singh was born in Varanasi, India. Her father's work with the government meant that the family regularly moved, living in various cantonments and outposts including Dehradun, Dibrugarh, Along and Teju. The family also followed her father's assignments abroad, living in Pakistan, United States and Namibia.
She attended Brandeis University where she majored in English and American Literature. She also holds a Masters Degree in Spanish Language, Literature and Culture from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a PhD from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
She worked as a journalist and management executive in Mexico, Chile, and South Africa before returning to India in 1995 to focus on writing. She worked as a freelance writer and journalist until 2002 in New Delhi, publishing her first two books in that period. She moved to Barcelona in 2002 to work on her PhD and published her second novel in 2006.
Singh is currently the Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Creative Writing at the London Metropolitan University.
She attended Brandeis University where she majored in English and American Literature. She also holds a Masters Degree in Spanish Language, Literature and Culture from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a PhD from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
She worked as a journalist and management executive in Mexico, Chile, and South Africa before returning to India in 1995 to focus on writing. She worked as a freelance writer and journalist until 2002 in New Delhi, publishing her first two books in that period. She moved to Barcelona in 2002 to work on her PhD and published her second novel in 2006.
Singh is currently the Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Creative Writing at the London Metropolitan University.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2025
Stories of war are among the most difficult to read. Writing these stories is all the more difficult, yet Singh does it with the skill of a woman who has learned too much of war and now refuses to stay silent. In this collection of thirteen stories, Singh asks us to bear witness and not look away in shame, disgust or horror at what men do to one another in times of violence, in this world without peace. There is no side of war that Singh does not explore within these pages. Brutality, torture, espionage, cruelty, and unimaginable violations of the human body and the human heart.
There is no refuge to be found within these pages, no space to retreat or escape from the savagery of war, but it is not without its tenderness either:
A French woman sharing her bed with a Sikh soldier during the Great War
A daughter wanting nothing more than to protect her father from death.
Two lovers who escape from war but not without their scars, both visible and invisible.
A young man yearning to learn about a past all but forgotten by all except those who lost their loves but not their lives.
Through each of these stories, Singh reminds us that it is the living who are the storytellers. They are who remember, and we must remember too, for we share in our grief and our sorrow and there is no place in the world that is not without its war.
Refuge: Stories of War (and Love) is a must read for anyone who chooses compassion over indifference, and longs for peace.
There is no refuge to be found within these pages, no space to retreat or escape from the savagery of war, but it is not without its tenderness either:
A French woman sharing her bed with a Sikh soldier during the Great War
A daughter wanting nothing more than to protect her father from death.
Two lovers who escape from war but not without their scars, both visible and invisible.
A young man yearning to learn about a past all but forgotten by all except those who lost their loves but not their lives.
Through each of these stories, Singh reminds us that it is the living who are the storytellers. They are who remember, and we must remember too, for we share in our grief and our sorrow and there is no place in the world that is not without its war.
Refuge: Stories of War (and Love) is a must read for anyone who chooses compassion over indifference, and longs for peace.
October 18, 2025
I’ve always wondered, must love that has endured the harsh mettle of time, war, poverty, exploitation, fear, and so much more, still feel like love? Does it turn into something hardened and sharp, or does it remain broken but beautiful, reminiscent of what it once was before adversity violated it?
This book, with its beautiful stories, explores that kind of love. In one corner, a couple plans to flee their country in turmoil, knowing they will do whatever it takes to safeguard themselves and their children. In another, love takes the shape of endless waiting, the quiet torment of not knowing whether to move on alone or wait for the one who may never return. Among them, two stories lingered long after I turned the last page. Knitting Needles and Tea follows Marie, who has been taught never to trust men, trained from a young age to keep women from giving birth through the quiet craft of needles and tea concoctions. Yet when she meets Vira, a soldier, she learns what it means not to be forced, but to be loved. That story reminded me of the surmountable number of soldiers from Punjab, innumerable Viras who left to fight for Britain during colonial India, many never to return. In The Tigress Hunts, set in a war-torn land where women are exploited, a young girl and her chitti endure unimaginable loss after their mother is killed. Years later, the girl, strapped with explosives and dressed like a bride, becomes both victim and avenger - a haunting echo of the LTTE’s child soldiers and the violence that breeds more violence.
Refuge left me with a deep ache, not of despair, but of recognition. It reminded me that war’s real stories don’t end on battlefields; they continue in kitchens, in hospital rooms, in the small acts of holding on. This book isn’t just about conflict; it’s about what it takes to remain human despite it.
This book, with its beautiful stories, explores that kind of love. In one corner, a couple plans to flee their country in turmoil, knowing they will do whatever it takes to safeguard themselves and their children. In another, love takes the shape of endless waiting, the quiet torment of not knowing whether to move on alone or wait for the one who may never return. Among them, two stories lingered long after I turned the last page. Knitting Needles and Tea follows Marie, who has been taught never to trust men, trained from a young age to keep women from giving birth through the quiet craft of needles and tea concoctions. Yet when she meets Vira, a soldier, she learns what it means not to be forced, but to be loved. That story reminded me of the surmountable number of soldiers from Punjab, innumerable Viras who left to fight for Britain during colonial India, many never to return. In The Tigress Hunts, set in a war-torn land where women are exploited, a young girl and her chitti endure unimaginable loss after their mother is killed. Years later, the girl, strapped with explosives and dressed like a bride, becomes both victim and avenger - a haunting echo of the LTTE’s child soldiers and the violence that breeds more violence.
Refuge left me with a deep ache, not of despair, but of recognition. It reminded me that war’s real stories don’t end on battlefields; they continue in kitchens, in hospital rooms, in the small acts of holding on. This book isn’t just about conflict; it’s about what it takes to remain human despite it.
October 26, 2025
In "Refuge: Stories of War (and Love)," author Sunny Singh presents a compelling anthology of 13 stories that deeply explore the complex interplay between war, love, and the resilience of the human spirit. Each narrative illuminates the often-ignored perspectives of women, children, and civilians amid the chaos and violence that conflict brings.
Each story in this collection is meticulously crafted, revealing the deep emotional landscapes that exist within the backdrop of war🔫. Notable stories such as "Refuge," "Number-Nine Bungalow," and "Wait" stand out for their emotional depth and narrative strength. In the story "Refuge," Nur and Abid's journey of rediscovering love💕 after fleeing violence serves as a touching reminder that even amidst destruction, hope can bloom🏵️.
In "The Tigress Hunts," we are drawn into the life of Chitti, a village girl whose story is told with remarkable sensitivity and insight. Through Sunny Singh's sharp prose, readers witness the multifaceted nature of love and loss as the characters navigate their fragmented worlds🌍.
Sunny Singh artfully weaves together themes of loss, hope, and the enduring spirit of humanity, encouraging readers to reflect on the dignity and compassion that can emerge even in the darkest times. "Refuge" is not just a collection of war stories; it is an ode to humanity's endurance and compassion💙✨
Each story in this collection is meticulously crafted, revealing the deep emotional landscapes that exist within the backdrop of war🔫. Notable stories such as "Refuge," "Number-Nine Bungalow," and "Wait" stand out for their emotional depth and narrative strength. In the story "Refuge," Nur and Abid's journey of rediscovering love💕 after fleeing violence serves as a touching reminder that even amidst destruction, hope can bloom🏵️.
In "The Tigress Hunts," we are drawn into the life of Chitti, a village girl whose story is told with remarkable sensitivity and insight. Through Sunny Singh's sharp prose, readers witness the multifaceted nature of love and loss as the characters navigate their fragmented worlds🌍.
Sunny Singh artfully weaves together themes of loss, hope, and the enduring spirit of humanity, encouraging readers to reflect on the dignity and compassion that can emerge even in the darkest times. "Refuge" is not just a collection of war stories; it is an ode to humanity's endurance and compassion💙✨
October 15, 2025
I picked up Refugee thinking it would be about war and loss but what I found was something far more profound: a book about the human heart and its stubborn will to keep beating even when the world has fallen apart.
The author Sunny Singh doesn’t write about war from a distance, she writes from the inside out, through the eyes of those who live it every single day. We meet Nur and Abid, who have escaped the chaos but must now learn how to love again in the fragile peace that follows. We meet Marie, a midwife whose entire life has been shaped by the brutality of conflict, and who faces a decision that forces her to question everything she stands for. Followed by many more short stories.
Each story carries a pulse tender, painful, and utterly human. The writing is so precise, so emotionally honest.
Reading Refugee made me realize how easily we turn away from these stories in real life. We scroll past images of destruction, thinking they belong to someone else’s world. But this book remind us that displacement, loss, and love are universal. They could be anywhere, anytime, it’s a matter to luck.
It’s not an easy book to read nor should it be. But it’s the kind of book that makes you pause and ask yourself:
If you lost everything, your home, your name, your history what part of your humanity would you fight hardest to keep?
November 18, 2025
This anthology comprises 13 stories, each one as fresh as morning dew and offering a unique perspective on love.
This was my first read by Sunny Singh, and I found it quite different and unique in terms of writing style.
Each story is deeply emotional and carries a meaningful message—whether it’s about a final meeting with a loved one, the sadness of separation, or the pain of never meeting your love again.
The stories are written so aptly that they feel incredibly close to reality, leaving you thinking about them again and again.
I would love to reread this anthology soon, as I’m sure each story will offer a new perspective upon revisiting. Overall, it was surely a decent read.
This was my first read by Sunny Singh, and I found it quite different and unique in terms of writing style.
Each story is deeply emotional and carries a meaningful message—whether it’s about a final meeting with a loved one, the sadness of separation, or the pain of never meeting your love again.
The stories are written so aptly that they feel incredibly close to reality, leaving you thinking about them again and again.
I would love to reread this anthology soon, as I’m sure each story will offer a new perspective upon revisiting. Overall, it was surely a decent read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews