Coconut Dreams

by Derek Mascarenhas

Coconut Dreams explores the lives of the Pinto family through seventeen linked short stories. Starting with a ghost story set in Goa, India in the 1950s, the collection weaves through various timelines and perspectives to focus on two children, Aiden and Ally Pinto. These siblings tackle their adventures in a predominantly white suburb with innocence, intelligence and a timid foot in two distinct cultures. In these stories, Derek Mascarenhas takes a fresh look at the world of the new immigrant and the South Asian experience in Canada, as a daughter questions her father's love at an IKEA grand opening; an aunt remembers a safari-gone-wrong in Kenya; an uncle's unrequited love is confronted at a Goan Association picnic; a boy tests his faith amidst a school-yard brawl; and a childhood love letter is exchanged during the building of a backyard deck. Singularly and collectively, these stories will move the reader with their engaging narratives and authentic voices. "This charming collection of stories resides between a suburban childhood in Canada and inherited, often mythic, tales from Goa that belong to the elders. Characters decide on love with rings lost at sea and soothe babies with stories of elephants in mountains. The voices in these stories are from people who seem far away and yet are inside us. Prepare to be delighted." -Kim Echlin, author of Under the Visible Life "The stories in Derek Mascarenhas's Coconut Dreams remind one of the high stakes in a child's world, the way that danger looms just fractionally outside safety. Like all proper enchantments, these vignettes are dark, light, strange, and vivid such that they delight and charm in equal portions." -Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, author of All the Broken Things, Perfecting, and The Nettle Spinner . "In this evocative collection, Derek Mascarenhas takes up the fictional Pinto family and turns it gently in his hands, revealing new truths-and new questions-with every shift in point of view. A moving, multifaceted debut." -Alissa York, author of The Naturalist

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada, Short Story Collection

268 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2019

About the author

Derek Mascarenhas is a graduate of the University of Toronto SCS Creative Writing Program, a finalist and runner up for the Penguin Random House of Canada Student Award for Fiction, and a nominee for the Marina Nemat Award. His linked short story collection, Coconut Dreams, was called a "stunning debut" in Quill and Quire's starred review and The Globe and Mail named it one of the best reads from Canadian small presses. Derek’s first picture book, 100 Chapatis, was praised by Kirkus Reviews as “warm and reassuring,” and his second, The Mango Monster, was the CBC Books top pick for Canadian kids in Fall 2024. Derek is also working on a middle-grade and speculative novel, and currently teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto SCS.

Reviews

[2TReads]

Coconut Dreams is a collection of short stories that tell the story of the Pinto family. The mother and father immigrated to Canada via Goa, and the children are first generation Canadian.

The stories tackle a wide range of issues; racism, lack of economic opportunities, culture clash, familial expectations and the immigrant experience.

As usual with short stories, some were more interesting than others: these were the stories that had the Pinto family at the centre.

I did like the collection overall though, as I connected with the immigrant narrative, being an immigrant myself.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real jewel, lovely stories. Wonderful!

[Wren Rusic · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars — An authentic and nuanced portrayal of Indo-Canadian life throughout the 90s. Mascarenhas does a great job of allowing the settings, characters and their actions do most of the heavy lifting within the narrative, instead of hitting us over the head with pedantic anecdotes or commentary. Although the topics covered aren’t groundbreaking in any way, Mascarenhas uses the short story form to dictate change, emotion and immaturity for his characters that a lot of other writers still struggle to accomplish.

The weakest part of the collection for me, however, was the number of stories. Though the stories are all inter-connected, a couple felt out of place or did not add to the overall narrative/themes of the collection as a whole. I definitely would have cut 2-4 of the stories, or combined a few, in order to make the collection more succinct and less meandering at times. For this reason, and the repetition of familiar topics within diasporic literature (racism, visiting the motherland, immigration), I did not give the collection 4 stars. Because Mascarenhas switches POVs between the kids and their parents, I also think some heavier topics could have been further explored in order to highlight the particular struggles that a South Asian identity renders within a white landscape. Some of the stories also switched between 1st and 3rd person, which was a strange choice considering those same characters already had both 1st and 3rd person POVs for their own journeys.

My favourite stories, however, were ones that didn’t even deal with South Asian identity. “Learn to Care” and “Snapshots” were wonderful examples of how a short story can thrive within limited history, exposition, and narrative. I can easily see myself teaching those stories in a fiction-writing class. The motifs throughout the collection were also satisfyingly touched upon in the last few stories, and I’m excited to see what future work Mascarenhas publishes! I’m keeping my signed copy from the library (lol).

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how these stories connected to me, as a brown Catholic myself. I have struggled with loss of faith during difficult times, and I have also experienced the joy of eating the best part of a mango (the seed). Amazing writing!

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coconut Dreams is an anthology of seventeen short stories written by Derek Mascarenhas. These interconnected short stories are told from the perspective of Aiden and Alley Pinto, who are a part of the South Asian immigrant family to Canada.

For the most part, this collection of short stories was written rather well. Coconut Dreams is a collection of linked stories about the journey of the Pinto family, South Asian immigrants in Canada, through the eyes of two siblings, Aiden and Ally. The stories are haunting in their poeticism and richness. However, under the playfulness of growing up lurk the ever-present spectra of loss and the inescapable prospect of not belonging.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and Coconut Dreams is not an exception. Comparatively speaking, there were a couple of entries are weaker than others or which did not connect to me well. However, Mascarenhas is brilliant in capturing the first-generation immigrant experience, with attention given to the particularities of being a South Asian child growing up in a mostly white suburban town. Mascarenhas writes with precision, shifting from one character's perspective to another's with an ease that is admirable and engrossing.

All in all, Coconut Dreams is a stunning collection that delves into the complexities of the immigrant experience from a South Asian perspective.

[Diane B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the motif of coconut trees recurring, and the device of linked short stories always intrigues me... how characters and lives cross paths in different ways.

Several stories contained outbursts of sudden physical violence: pushes to the ground, car crashes, heart attacks.

The author leaves a lot unsaid, which I appreciate. It is often the 'space between the notes' that makes a piece of music work. Some in the bookclub commented there was a foreboding in the stories, a sense that we were always on the cusp of something terrible happening that never fully realizes.

A great first collection.

[Kali Cannizzaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coconut Dreams was a lovely multigenerational collection of short stories. It was well-written and the audiobook narration was very well done. There were various narrators from different points in time and, not realizing at first that this was a collection of related short stories, this left me wishing that I had the physical book to refer to. However, it did not detract from the rich interwoven short stories themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, narrators, and publishers for allowing me to listen to this wonderful book. The above opinions are completely my own.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from the very first chapter.

This is a debut book released in 2019; listened to the audiobook, which was extremely well done by multiple narrators.

This book has a great first chapter and last chapter; and loved the chapters in between. Coconut Dreams stayed strong from start to finish.

Around 25% into this book, I decided to follow the author so that I can be on the lookout for future books.

Thank you NetGalley and the author/Derek Mascarenhas for an advance copy of the audiobook. Derek, I wish you much success and I anxiously await your next book!

[Rachel Nazareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this collection of short stories by Canadian-Indian author Derek Mascarenhas. Of course so many of the stories hit close to home because my own heritage also comes from Goa and I am born in Canada.

I loved the short stories:

When the Good Shines a Little Brighter
Hold it Like a Butterfly
Coconut Dreams

The style of writing was beautiful and I connected with so many of these narratives. It was truly an inspiration for me to write my own stories down into my own novel.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful collection of short stories representing an often overlooked group of Canadians. characters were richly developed and like so many canadian authors the land plays an integral part but we have two distinct landscapes and cultures shaping their experience. looking forward to his next work.

[Andre Lepine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful linked short stories of an immigrant family from Goa, India, and their life in southwestern Ontario in the 1990s.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not generally a big fan of short stories however I loved the way the stories in this book wove together, forwards and backwards in time. It may have made a convert out of me.

[Alex Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 - Good linked stories! Some quite affecting.

[Arya Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful tale of longing for home and homecoming.

[Mugabi Byenkya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! I listened to the audiobook as I have text processing issues, and I'm usually picky when it comes to narrators but the two narrators did an excellent job of immersing me in the story. The interlinked stories wove together so well, and I loved how we moved forward and backwards in time throughout the collection. So much of this resonated with me being in Black person in non-Black countries for the majority of my life from questions about invasive skin tone, to being told to get out of the country by White people, to my white friends passivity during such moments which always hurt. Moreover, being from the Global South moments like having to learn how to grip on the back of a scooter to ride as a passenger brought be back to having to learn the same when my family moved back to Uganda when I was 13. Not to mention, the disgust I felt when I saw my Mom sucking the snot out of my little sisters nose and found out she'd done the same to me! 10/10 would recommend, this collection really highlights the universality of experiences of othering and growing up disconnected from your ancestral homeland, but finding a way home.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read collections of short stories but I enjoyed this one. We follow the adventures and challenges of the Pinto family, first-generation Canadians, through the years. At first, I found this book slow-paced and hard to get into. However, the last stories really make the reading experience worthwhile. This collection helps up to have a better understanding of what immigrant families (especially South Asian) go through when they arrive in Canada. It's a breath of fresh air in the industry and another step towards litterature that is more inclusive.

My personal favorites were: Picking Trilliums, Learn to care, The Elephant in the Mountain and Coconut Dreams. :)

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart warming collection. The author has a wonderful ability to write thought provoking stories where the reader is left to discern their own understanding and interpretation. Quite a few of the stories resonated within me as I searched for my own meanings. The story about the aunt and her abuser particularly stood out to me. . My mind was often left imagining the characters' futures as I didn't want their stories to end.

Nutmeg on ice cream is a great suggestion.