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Translated from the Gibberish: Seven Stories and One Half Truth
Here are seven superb, subtle, surprising stories that show, through a prism of unforgettable characters, what it means to live between two worlds: India and Canada.
Anosh Irani, the masterful, bestselling author of The Parcel and The Song of Kahunsha, knows of what he writes: Twenty years ago, to the mystification of family and friends, Irani left India for Vancouver, Canada, a city and a country completely foreign to him. His plan was both grand and impractical: he would reinvent himself as a writer. Miraculously, he did just that, publishing critically acclaimed novels and plays set in his beloved hometown of Mumbai. But this uprooting did not come without a steep price--one that Irani for the first time directly explores in this book.
In these stunning stories and one "half truth" (a semi-fictional meditation on the experience of being an immigrant) we meet a swimming instructor determined to reenact John Cheever's iconic short story "The Swimmer" in the pools of Mumbai; a famous Indian chef who breaks down on a New York talk show; a gangster's wife who believes a penguin at the Mumbai zoo is the reincarnation of her lost child; an illegal immigrant in Vancouver who plays a fateful game of cricket; and a kindly sweets-shop owner whose hope for a new life in Canada leads to a terrible choice. The book starts and ends with a gorgeous, emotionally raw "translation" to the page of the author's own life between worlds, blurring the line between fiction and fact. Translated from the Gibberish confirms Anosh Irani as a unique, inventive, vitally important voice in contemporary fiction.
Anosh Irani, the masterful, bestselling author of The Parcel and The Song of Kahunsha, knows of what he writes: Twenty years ago, to the mystification of family and friends, Irani left India for Vancouver, Canada, a city and a country completely foreign to him. His plan was both grand and impractical: he would reinvent himself as a writer. Miraculously, he did just that, publishing critically acclaimed novels and plays set in his beloved hometown of Mumbai. But this uprooting did not come without a steep price--one that Irani for the first time directly explores in this book.
In these stunning stories and one "half truth" (a semi-fictional meditation on the experience of being an immigrant) we meet a swimming instructor determined to reenact John Cheever's iconic short story "The Swimmer" in the pools of Mumbai; a famous Indian chef who breaks down on a New York talk show; a gangster's wife who believes a penguin at the Mumbai zoo is the reincarnation of her lost child; an illegal immigrant in Vancouver who plays a fateful game of cricket; and a kindly sweets-shop owner whose hope for a new life in Canada leads to a terrible choice. The book starts and ends with a gorgeous, emotionally raw "translation" to the page of the author's own life between worlds, blurring the line between fiction and fact. Translated from the Gibberish confirms Anosh Irani as a unique, inventive, vitally important voice in contemporary fiction.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2019
5 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Anosh Irani
12 books79 followersAnosh Irani is an Indo-Canadian novelist and playwright.
His novels and plays have garnered much critical and popular acclaim and he is considered to be a rising star in Canadian literature.
He was born and grew up in Mumbai, India in a Parsi family of relatively recent Persian origin (hence the surname Irani), but now makes his home in Vancouver, Canada.
He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia.
His novels and plays have garnered much critical and popular acclaim and he is considered to be a rising star in Canadian literature.
He was born and grew up in Mumbai, India in a Parsi family of relatively recent Persian origin (hence the surname Irani), but now makes his home in Vancouver, Canada.
He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 21, 2020
Read it for the title story "Translated from the Gibberish" and its part 2, then for a story titled "Behind the moon". Rest is half-baked.
December 15, 2020
This is a terrible piece of writing. Terrible in its truthfulness, in the feeling it evokes, in its ability to both ask a question and then conclude, without question, that there was no solution to his pain. It left me feeling weak and angry.p4 IA reviewing a passage written by Edward Said on exile
I can imagine Anosh Irani reclining on long divan, in a hot pink dressing gown, waving his cigarette holder, regardless whether it contained a cigarette, lit or not, and sipping occasionally on something green, uncertain of whether to be offended or delighted to have his own words applied to this collection. Before he uncoils I must hasten to assert that I meant no offence to his integrity (as I am am sure he did not to the esteemed Edward Said). AI is a beautiful writer. I did not feel angry with this book nor its author. I did feel a little dispirited and weak.
Should I consider myself lucky? That I have the time? That I don't, or choose not to, rush to an office and sit in a cubicle, which is just another version of a grave? p9
Anosh Irani has been dividing his time between his homes in India, his birthplace, and Canada, his chosen place of exile. The 7 stories presented here are bookended with freewheeling observations on his particular life and outlook. By far I preferred these snapshots of his reality which he has titled Translated From The Gibberish Parts One and Two, to the stories. There is something desperate and stale that links the characters in these stories even more than their individual shame. There are enough holes in their stories to let the the light stream.
What is a short story collection? Writing about characters that don't deserve novels. Lives so insignificant that they can be summed up in a few pages....We are two short stories facing off, staring at each other, wondering how we could become novels. p202
The discerning reader will know right away that that notion is poppycock. AI has written several novels and in fact treats his lowly characters with a genuine reverence and respect. A good short story can encapsulate a life. Especially when it includes music.
music could get you in an instant, it was the heroin of life, whereas books took their own sweet time and hardly gave you a lift. from the story The swimming Coach p43
Obviously not reading the right books. But where can a story go when it opens like this:
Abdul was too tired too chase the rat. p50
This from the story Behind the Moon which may be the saddest.
Because I try to avoid spoilers I will not even mention the story about the woman and the penguin.
Life goes on. Things keep turning. It would perhaps make sense if the world stopped, just for a millisecond, to help us feel a little less significant. p104
The stories do benefit from closer reading. They churn with circumstances and unrealistic expectations. They will break your heart slowly if you let them.
I can imagine Anosh Irani reclining on long divan, in a hot pink dressing gown, waving his cigarette holder, regardless whether it contained a cigarette, lit or not, and sipping occasionally on something green, uncertain of whether to be offended or delighted to have his own words applied to this collection. Before he uncoils I must hasten to assert that I meant no offence to his integrity (as I am am sure he did not to the esteemed Edward Said). AI is a beautiful writer. I did not feel angry with this book nor its author. I did feel a little dispirited and weak.
Should I consider myself lucky? That I have the time? That I don't, or choose not to, rush to an office and sit in a cubicle, which is just another version of a grave? p9
Anosh Irani has been dividing his time between his homes in India, his birthplace, and Canada, his chosen place of exile. The 7 stories presented here are bookended with freewheeling observations on his particular life and outlook. By far I preferred these snapshots of his reality which he has titled Translated From The Gibberish Parts One and Two, to the stories. There is something desperate and stale that links the characters in these stories even more than their individual shame. There are enough holes in their stories to let the the light stream.
What is a short story collection? Writing about characters that don't deserve novels. Lives so insignificant that they can be summed up in a few pages....We are two short stories facing off, staring at each other, wondering how we could become novels. p202
The discerning reader will know right away that that notion is poppycock. AI has written several novels and in fact treats his lowly characters with a genuine reverence and respect. A good short story can encapsulate a life. Especially when it includes music.
music could get you in an instant, it was the heroin of life, whereas books took their own sweet time and hardly gave you a lift. from the story The swimming Coach p43
Obviously not reading the right books. But where can a story go when it opens like this:
Abdul was too tired too chase the rat. p50
This from the story Behind the Moon which may be the saddest.
Because I try to avoid spoilers I will not even mention the story about the woman and the penguin.
Life goes on. Things keep turning. It would perhaps make sense if the world stopped, just for a millisecond, to help us feel a little less significant. p104
The stories do benefit from closer reading. They churn with circumstances and unrealistic expectations. They will break your heart slowly if you let them.
November 12, 2020
Translated from the Gibberish is a book by Anosh Irani.
This book takes readers into and around the experiences of living between countries – Canada and India – between identities, and between stories. In these stories, we see the desires, hopes, fears, and regrets of each protagonist. The characters become entwined in various schemes, either by their own doing or that of others.
In these stories we meet a swimming instructor determined to reenact John Cheever's iconic short story "The Swimmer" in the pools of Mumbai; a famous Indian chef who breaks down on a New York talk show; a gangster's wife who believes a penguin at the Mumbai zoo is the reincarnation of her lost child; an illegal immigrant in Vancouver who is drawn into a fateful game of cricket; and a kindly sweets-maker whose hope for a new life in Canada leads to a terrible choice. These are all stories about hunger to find home and the desire to belong.
The book feels like home. Each of the stories are raw, hilarious and moving. These stories have a deeper meaning beyond the dark and humorous tones. I would recommend everyone to read this book because it is unique. The narrative of the book is very good.
This book takes readers into and around the experiences of living between countries – Canada and India – between identities, and between stories. In these stories, we see the desires, hopes, fears, and regrets of each protagonist. The characters become entwined in various schemes, either by their own doing or that of others.
In these stories we meet a swimming instructor determined to reenact John Cheever's iconic short story "The Swimmer" in the pools of Mumbai; a famous Indian chef who breaks down on a New York talk show; a gangster's wife who believes a penguin at the Mumbai zoo is the reincarnation of her lost child; an illegal immigrant in Vancouver who is drawn into a fateful game of cricket; and a kindly sweets-maker whose hope for a new life in Canada leads to a terrible choice. These are all stories about hunger to find home and the desire to belong.
The book feels like home. Each of the stories are raw, hilarious and moving. These stories have a deeper meaning beyond the dark and humorous tones. I would recommend everyone to read this book because it is unique. The narrative of the book is very good.
May 18, 2020
I picked up this book because of the lovely, intriguing cover and title.
I'm not usually into short stories, but these (once you can get past the first half of the "half truth", which starts out entertaining, but soon drags on) were initially intriguing, though eventually the prose was so similar among them all despite their very different settings and characters. Common to all of the stories is that they end just before what would be the climax or even the resolution, so much is left ambiguous or to the imagination. That's fine, but eventually the lack of outcome becomes predictable, somehow.
The dealbreaker, at which I was quite disappointed, was how the author portrayed women as weak, to be pitied, driven only by their uncontrollable emotions, irrational. The only story with a the main character - a woman - was hysteric with grief, driven to bring home a penguin she thought was a reincarnation of her dead son. She can't bear the loss of her son but seems to have no worries about her husband's day job as a gang leader or serial killer. You're obviously supposed to think she is insane while her husband and the priest watch over, and yet they aren't painted as weirdos despite their occupations... It didn't quite make sense.
I appreciated how the book draws attention to the struggles of immigrants in Canada, and their lives in India.
The book ends with the second half of the half truth, which seems to be part memoir, part self-absorbed self-reflection, but just left me counting pages until I was done.
I'm not usually into short stories, but these (once you can get past the first half of the "half truth", which starts out entertaining, but soon drags on) were initially intriguing, though eventually the prose was so similar among them all despite their very different settings and characters. Common to all of the stories is that they end just before what would be the climax or even the resolution, so much is left ambiguous or to the imagination. That's fine, but eventually the lack of outcome becomes predictable, somehow.
The dealbreaker, at which I was quite disappointed, was how the author portrayed women as weak, to be pitied, driven only by their uncontrollable emotions, irrational. The only story with a the main character - a woman - was hysteric with grief, driven to bring home a penguin she thought was a reincarnation of her dead son. She can't bear the loss of her son but seems to have no worries about her husband's day job as a gang leader or serial killer. You're obviously supposed to think she is insane while her husband and the priest watch over, and yet they aren't painted as weirdos despite their occupations... It didn't quite make sense.
I appreciated how the book draws attention to the struggles of immigrants in Canada, and their lives in India.
The book ends with the second half of the half truth, which seems to be part memoir, part self-absorbed self-reflection, but just left me counting pages until I was done.
September 4, 2019
A good writer can write about anything; say, disparate objects like a deceased woman's voluminous underwear on a clothesline and vertical graves; and keep readers absorbed and wanting to know more. Anosh Irani is such a writer.
This short story collection is bookended by two parts of seemingly autobiographical musings. Each story is preceded by customs and immigration stamps with entry/exit dates giving the book a quirky liminal feel. Indeed, the stories deal with migration and the alien feeling of being in a new land but also looking back to a lost past. Sometimes the journey is internal. "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. The achievements of exile are permanently undermined by the loss of something left behind forever." This lament is quoted by our writer narrator in Translated from the Gibberish Part I attributed to Edward Said which is "terrible in its truthfulness"
The short stories are suffused with tension, hope, despair and promise. My favourites were "Behind The Moon" and "Butter Chicken." I found the story of why a migrant feels he lives behind the moon and dissolution of his hopes heartbreaking. Others like "Mr Molt" about a grief-crazed woman's belief that a Humboldt penguin at a zoo being the reincarnation of her dead son appealed to me less. The story matter can be deceptive and contradictory: "Swimming Coach" is not really about swimming but a middle-aged man's unvoiced frustrations with his station in life while "Treasury of Sweetness" about an immigrant shop owner selling Indian sweets and desserts is far from saccharine and instead leads to a disquieting sinister conclusion. In "Circus Wedding," a clown wrestles with his anger and trust issues. Quite a few of the stories would initially be uplifted with hope, we readers are crying and cheering on the character then splat! Flattened by life. So it goes.....(incidentally I picked up some similarities between Vonnegut's and Irani's writings, that sharp ironic poignant style, laughing while crying at the absurdity of our world).
I have previously only read Anosh Irani's full length novels such as his devastating 'The Parcel.' The author narrator in Translated from the Gibberish Part Two scoffs at short stories, stating that a short story collection is "Writing about characters who don't deserve novels. Lives so insignificant that they can be summed up in a few sentences." I'm not sure if this means Anosh Irani is not totally won over writing in a short story format but this collection feels quite personal bristling with raw emotion. It also leaves us wondering: which is the half truth?
This short story collection is bookended by two parts of seemingly autobiographical musings. Each story is preceded by customs and immigration stamps with entry/exit dates giving the book a quirky liminal feel. Indeed, the stories deal with migration and the alien feeling of being in a new land but also looking back to a lost past. Sometimes the journey is internal. "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. The achievements of exile are permanently undermined by the loss of something left behind forever." This lament is quoted by our writer narrator in Translated from the Gibberish Part I attributed to Edward Said which is "terrible in its truthfulness"
The short stories are suffused with tension, hope, despair and promise. My favourites were "Behind The Moon" and "Butter Chicken." I found the story of why a migrant feels he lives behind the moon and dissolution of his hopes heartbreaking. Others like "Mr Molt" about a grief-crazed woman's belief that a Humboldt penguin at a zoo being the reincarnation of her dead son appealed to me less. The story matter can be deceptive and contradictory: "Swimming Coach" is not really about swimming but a middle-aged man's unvoiced frustrations with his station in life while "Treasury of Sweetness" about an immigrant shop owner selling Indian sweets and desserts is far from saccharine and instead leads to a disquieting sinister conclusion. In "Circus Wedding," a clown wrestles with his anger and trust issues. Quite a few of the stories would initially be uplifted with hope, we readers are crying and cheering on the character then splat! Flattened by life. So it goes.....(incidentally I picked up some similarities between Vonnegut's and Irani's writings, that sharp ironic poignant style, laughing while crying at the absurdity of our world).
I have previously only read Anosh Irani's full length novels such as his devastating 'The Parcel.' The author narrator in Translated from the Gibberish Part Two scoffs at short stories, stating that a short story collection is "Writing about characters who don't deserve novels. Lives so insignificant that they can be summed up in a few sentences." I'm not sure if this means Anosh Irani is not totally won over writing in a short story format but this collection feels quite personal bristling with raw emotion. It also leaves us wondering: which is the half truth?
April 15, 2020
A friend of mine dismisses most Canadian fiction as being the immigrant story or the 'Roughing it in the Bush' story. A good chunk of our canon fits into those two broad categories. This is firmly in the immigrant story.
The author name checks Cheever. He re-imagines a story in India. It doesn't pack the same punch as the original. In this book, Butter Chicken, stands out. If all the stories were this sharp then this book would cut.
The material does have its twists and emotional heft but it doesn't connect. Maybe that is due to me being a white dude whose family has been here for over a century. My own story would be a more roughing it in the bush in the 1980s, so maybe there is a tension there.
Or maybe there is something about the dual situation of trying to write a Canadian and an Indian story at the same time? There are authors that have done it where I have connected. This feels like these are just stories. Somehow that bothers me.
Maybe it is the isolation that is making me bristle at these words. Something about being irritated when I can't see the point in an obvious manner. There is a new impatience that has sprung up in my reading. If you can't hold my attention, I blame the writer. If so, maybe this is a better book to be taken up when you have time to wander with the writer.
I would definitely recommend reading Butter Chicken and possibly The Treasure of Sweetness.
The author name checks Cheever. He re-imagines a story in India. It doesn't pack the same punch as the original. In this book, Butter Chicken, stands out. If all the stories were this sharp then this book would cut.
The material does have its twists and emotional heft but it doesn't connect. Maybe that is due to me being a white dude whose family has been here for over a century. My own story would be a more roughing it in the bush in the 1980s, so maybe there is a tension there.
Or maybe there is something about the dual situation of trying to write a Canadian and an Indian story at the same time? There are authors that have done it where I have connected. This feels like these are just stories. Somehow that bothers me.
Maybe it is the isolation that is making me bristle at these words. Something about being irritated when I can't see the point in an obvious manner. There is a new impatience that has sprung up in my reading. If you can't hold my attention, I blame the writer. If so, maybe this is a better book to be taken up when you have time to wander with the writer.
I would definitely recommend reading Butter Chicken and possibly The Treasure of Sweetness.
January 23, 2020
By pure coincidence I tuned into a CBC radio interview with Anosh Irani when I was just two stories into this book. I'm so glad I did, because then I really heard his voice, both literally and figuratively, which added much to my enjoyment of this collection.
The book opens and closes with meditations on his own place in his dual worlds: Bombay and Vancouver. He talks about his sense of displacement, how he doesn't fit comfortably in either any more. This information is useful when reading the short stories in the rest of the book. I especially liked "Behind the Moon", in which an undocumented immigrant who slaves in a restaurant kitchen pays a terrible price while enjoying the only pleasure he gets out of life (playing casual cricket games). I also liked "The Treasury of Sweetness", in which an entrepreneurial candy maker who is desperately lonely for home is betrayed by the only friend he makes in Vancouver. Both these stories gave me insight into the incredible stress and struggle that newcomers experience when arriving in an unknown country. It was heartbreaking. At the very least, reading a collection like this opens your eyes to the humanity of immigrants, when it is so say and convenient to look right through them.
The book opens and closes with meditations on his own place in his dual worlds: Bombay and Vancouver. He talks about his sense of displacement, how he doesn't fit comfortably in either any more. This information is useful when reading the short stories in the rest of the book. I especially liked "Behind the Moon", in which an undocumented immigrant who slaves in a restaurant kitchen pays a terrible price while enjoying the only pleasure he gets out of life (playing casual cricket games). I also liked "The Treasury of Sweetness", in which an entrepreneurial candy maker who is desperately lonely for home is betrayed by the only friend he makes in Vancouver. Both these stories gave me insight into the incredible stress and struggle that newcomers experience when arriving in an unknown country. It was heartbreaking. At the very least, reading a collection like this opens your eyes to the humanity of immigrants, when it is so say and convenient to look right through them.
October 7, 2019
I thought most of these stories were really good. The wrap-around essay that starts and concludes the book was not as compelling although it did give me a few interesting takeaways. But I thought the short stories were all excellent.
January 18, 2020
Swimming Coach, Butter Chicken and Treasury of Sweetness were ones I enjoyed. I did appreciate the fact Mr. Irani intertwined the lives of his character's lives in India and Canada. I saw him at a Wordfest event here in Calgary and was very engaging; see him if you get the chance.
April 8, 2024
I have to be honest I grabbed this book simply because of the title. Gibberish? Meaning: Unintelligible or meaningless speech or writing; nonsense. I always loved that word and I can’t say when the last time I heard that. Then I spotted the subtitle “Seven Stories & One Half Truth.” I was very curious.
Despite the gibberish in the title, the book is anything but unintelligible. The key word is “translated” which has a sense of making sense of these stories from India and Canada.
Several are rather “odd” tales from India. One can’t get more strange than “Mr. Molt,” a story of loss, reincarnation and a penguin. Or perhaps “Circus Wedding,” a tale of jealous love between a dwarf Raju and an acrobat, Sheila. Raju gives a letter to his friend stating that if he should die, four people would be responsible (one of them is already dead).
Borrowing from literature is one called “Swimming Coach” that borrows the theme of the drunk young man swimming across pools from a story by John Cheever (read this in the Short Story Club).
Three stories are based on the immigrant experience in Canada, and sadly these ones are much tougher to read. “Behind the Moon” tells of a young man who has been held hostage by an employer with withholds his passport. “Butter Chicken” is the story of an award winning chef telling his tale to an American audience on how he learned the dish from his mother, while living under the tyranny of his vegetarian father. “The Treasury of Sweetness” is anything but sweet.
The one half truth is a tale bookending the book. Divided in two parts we are teased (perhaps the wrong word) by the underwear of an old woman (and quite dead) dangling on a line outside our narrator’s room. An auto fiction that reveals a mystery and perhaps a little of the author. Perhaps.
Anosh Irani is a Canadian author living in Vancouver of Indian heritage. His book Song of Kahunsha competed in Canada Reads 2007 and was a bestseller. Sadly I don’t know that book nor the author but was impressed with these eight tales. Definitely not gibberish.
3.5 rating
Despite the gibberish in the title, the book is anything but unintelligible. The key word is “translated” which has a sense of making sense of these stories from India and Canada.
Several are rather “odd” tales from India. One can’t get more strange than “Mr. Molt,” a story of loss, reincarnation and a penguin. Or perhaps “Circus Wedding,” a tale of jealous love between a dwarf Raju and an acrobat, Sheila. Raju gives a letter to his friend stating that if he should die, four people would be responsible (one of them is already dead).
Borrowing from literature is one called “Swimming Coach” that borrows the theme of the drunk young man swimming across pools from a story by John Cheever (read this in the Short Story Club).
Three stories are based on the immigrant experience in Canada, and sadly these ones are much tougher to read. “Behind the Moon” tells of a young man who has been held hostage by an employer with withholds his passport. “Butter Chicken” is the story of an award winning chef telling his tale to an American audience on how he learned the dish from his mother, while living under the tyranny of his vegetarian father. “The Treasury of Sweetness” is anything but sweet.
The one half truth is a tale bookending the book. Divided in two parts we are teased (perhaps the wrong word) by the underwear of an old woman (and quite dead) dangling on a line outside our narrator’s room. An auto fiction that reveals a mystery and perhaps a little of the author. Perhaps.
Anosh Irani is a Canadian author living in Vancouver of Indian heritage. His book Song of Kahunsha competed in Canada Reads 2007 and was a bestseller. Sadly I don’t know that book nor the author but was impressed with these eight tales. Definitely not gibberish.
3.5 rating
July 7, 2019
A short story collection... about characters who don’t deserve novels. That’s how the author describes his book. But I disagree - I want to know more about these characters. Every one of them deserves their own novel. Each exquisite little story is such a treat, even though most of the characters are - let’s be honest - losers. After reading the first page and a half, about a deceased elderly lady’s undergarments, I was sucked in for good. How is it possible that I’ve never heard of Anosh Irani before, never read any of his books? His previous work was short-listed for Canada Reads and he was a finalist for the Governor General’s award. Have I been living in a dark hole? If anyone out there is considering a life as a writer, read this book. If you think you have a hope in hell of matching Irani’s skill, then by all means pour your heart into your talent. Otherwise maybe you should look for a proper job.
November 8, 2019
A very nice read as it was well written. It gave me an interesting peek into the culture of an Indian immigrant in Canada (and characters in India) which were interesting and understandable if not completely relatable. I enjoyed the author's style though wished some of the stories were a little longer.
June 2, 2023
3.5 stars. mr molt and a treasury of sweetness were standouts, and i also really like the more personal piece that bookended this collection. i found some of the stories a bit aimless and some of their endings a bit arbitrary, but very solid collection overall with some moments of very beautiful writing and observation.
May 18, 2025
These stories present the characters' humanity in lyrical, pensive, shocking prose. The strain of immigration, residual damage from family conflict and loss, the surreal experiences surrounding family, grief, and love are all covered in these seven stories. The stories reflect the uneasiness of feelings of home and self for many of us. It is a great read.
August 25, 2019
I don't often choose to read short story collections, but I was intrigued by the title of this book! Several of the stories were excellent, blending experiences of characters in India and Canada; all were very readable.
October 22, 2020
Yippee! I have found an author! Just a stab in the dark at the library and bingo! Anosh can write..O.M.G. as the kids would say...great literature to take you away with smart cadenced characters and spacious story lines.
September 7, 2019
I particularly like the story and half-truth that frame the other pieces in this collection.
October 30, 2019
Beautifully written. There are suddenly sentences, however, within several stories that ring a false note, which take away from almost perfect, albeit heartbreaking, book.
November 5, 2019
Mesmerizing writing. Sometimes feel more artsy than substance but you just can't put the book down.
The form of stories helped
Great piece of unique writing, each chapter is a treat
The form of stories helped
Great piece of unique writing, each chapter is a treat
November 20, 2019
I would rate this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed some of the stories, but others were just too bizarre for me. If his work reflects his personality, Anosh Irani has some serious displacement issues!
February 17, 2020
Powerful stories that give a strong sense of both Mumbai and being an Indian migrant to Canada. I found the bracketing memoir to be the most interesting part of the journey.
May 10, 2020
i loved every story.
March 22, 2024
Wonderful collection of stories !
August 26, 2024
as a south asian in Vancouver like the author, these stories were very vivid. the title stories/rants/context pieces were a bit self-indulgent, but otherwise a nice read.
December 8, 2024
Love Anosh Irani, really liked the short story format for him. Specifically loved Behind the Moon, Mr Molt, and The Treasury of Sweetness.
February 23, 2025
Irani's book consists of six short stories, bracketed by two semi-memoirs about his own visit home to Bombay and his struggles with depression, isolation, and writing. The stories are better than the memoir bits, bringing colourful and tragic characters to life. Irani's descriptions and narratives are good, and the twists in the tales are often surprising, if the outcomes predictable. The best stories were:
-Behind the Moon, about an illegal immigrant in Vancouver and his participation in a cricket match.
- The Treasury of Sweetness, about a new immigrant in Vancouver, his sweet shop, and his new friend.
While I enjoyed the short stories, they felt somewhat derivative of the superior stories by Rohinton Mistry (especially A Fine Balance). None of the stories has a happy ending, and some are downright dispiriting, as tragic souls trying to find happiness are beaten by life's tyrannical systems and forced to submit to their place in the world. Like with Mistry's stories, the lesson is: no matter how hard you work or how good/smart you are, you cannot change your dismal place in life, any brightness will be swiftly blackened, and there is no such thing as justice.
-Behind the Moon, about an illegal immigrant in Vancouver and his participation in a cricket match.
- The Treasury of Sweetness, about a new immigrant in Vancouver, his sweet shop, and his new friend.
While I enjoyed the short stories, they felt somewhat derivative of the superior stories by Rohinton Mistry (especially A Fine Balance). None of the stories has a happy ending, and some are downright dispiriting, as tragic souls trying to find happiness are beaten by life's tyrannical systems and forced to submit to their place in the world. Like with Mistry's stories, the lesson is: no matter how hard you work or how good/smart you are, you cannot change your dismal place in life, any brightness will be swiftly blackened, and there is no such thing as justice.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews