The Sky Husband

by Easterine Kire

A young woman dreams of her future husband and prepares for their wedding, despite never having met him in real life. An elderly man recalls a long-forgotten encounter with a mystical forest spirit. The death of a friend rekindles memories of a couple's days in the revolutionary movement. Bani and Liam, two kindred souls, face numerous obstacles as they strive to be together in two separate tales. Aunty Nima and Uncle Ben's love story stands as a timeless testament to enduring affection.

Easterine Kire's stories are gentle yet profound, offering deep insights into the human condition. With a keen eye for detail, she captures the myriad hues of the human spirit. Exemplifying the storytelling tradition she belongs to, this collection features slice-of-life narratives and tales, painting a vivid picture of the region's rich cultural tapestry.

122 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2025

About the author

Easterine Kire (Iralu) is a poet, writer, and novelist from Nagaland. She is one of the finest story tellers from the region and has written several books in English including three collections of poetry and short stories. Her first novel, A Naga Village Remembered, was the first-ever Naga novel to be published.

Easterine has translated 200 oral poems from her native language, Tenyidie, into English. She has been actively involved in working on creating better opportunities for the Naga youth and nurturing and evangelizing the Naga folktales.

She is also the Founder-partner of the publishing house called Barkweaver, which publishes Naga folktales, children’s stories and real stirring stories of ordinary people. Easterine Kire has a Ph.D in English Literature from University of Pune.

Reviews

[Damien Travel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Sky Husband”, Easterine Kire's most recent publication, is a collection of short stories. It contains eight love stories, some using magical realism, such as the one that gives the book its title, others rooted in the history of Nagaland, such as the one between a young Naga girl and a Japanese lieutenant (Cherry Blossoms in April) or the one about two young people who join the Naga resistance movement (The Tracker).

https://www.travelreadings.org/2025/1...

[Sneha Jaiswal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably only the first short story - 'The Sky Husband' - was the most interesting, folklore themed story in this collection. Another about a man being spirited away by a forest fairy was also quite fascinating. But the rest just didn't hold much charm. Despite rich setting, the last few stories are border-line boring.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 8 stories.

[gin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the local spirit stories but the love stories at the end were so boring

[May Mohamad]

I read this collection for interviewing the author. The title was intriguing as much as the choice of the stories.