The Blender Book Club discussion

Hi all,

For September we're diving into our third and final short story collection of the year, Anjali Sachdeva's 2018 debut All the Names They Used for God. Working in a similar (though by no means identical) vein to our March author, Carmen Maria Machado, Sachdeva draws on the conventions of magical realism, science fiction, horror, and more straightforward literary realism in order to explore questions of womanhood, survival, and humans' ongoing search for meaning and transcendence.

As always, please share your thoughts and comments here, and I look forward to our in-person discussion on September 18th!

I have three stories to go but so far I LOVE this book. Each story is so interesting and beautiful and sad.

Oh phoo, you beat me to it! I've been reading most of the day, and I've never found a book so easy to read or stories that pull you in so quickly & completely. Even those of which my 1st impression was "I don't like this character and don't care what happens to him/her", Sachdeva makes compelling & sympathetic. She's just brilliant at getting inside her characters, at scene-setting (where could she have gained the breadth of knowledge & experience to realistically depict such diverse times and places??), and getting the reader to willingly suspend disbelief.
And such writing! Every story contains many gems, e.g.: "the riot of stars that fills every inch of the sky, so clear she feels she could prick her face against them if she stood up too quickly" (pg.12), or "he imagined [his lungs] hanging like clouds in his chest, swollen with glass instead of rain" (pg.38). Lovely book, can't wait to hear what others think (hint, hint...)

Hi all, sorry for my tardiness - this week has been hectic. I'm happy to hear this has been enjoyable read for everyone(?), and I can't wait to discuss tonight! I'm really impressed by Sachdeva's range of subjects and themes, and also relieved to read something which (while certainly somber at times) isn't quite as unrelentingly depressing as some of our other recent books.

Cheryl is scheduled for snack duty tonight, but Lucy just got in touch as well and said she'd like to bring something in to commemorate her healthy return to the Genre Blender. I'll leave it up to you, Cheryl, if you'd still like to bring something. I'm happy either way.

See you all soon!

I could identify with the main characters in all of the stories (the characters were excellent).
All the Names for God was the most interesting story to me, largely because of place,but the narrator abusing her husband using witchcraft at the end let me down. I felt that the women were better than the men through the story because of some 'invisible' higher standard. She shows herself as bad or worse than everyone else.
Pleiades interested me with the loss of identity in each of the septuplets. I don't know many twins, let alone triplets... to personally understand the identity as a group. I took the end to be "6/7 of me is dead, so I should die to make us whole again". The science fiction to create the septuplets was a prop to build the world for the story.
World in Dark was a place (caves) I can identify with from the point of total darkness and almost no sound. Hearing beckoning voices is something I've never run into, but it isn't hard to imagine in the 'sensory deprivation' world of a cave.
Interested to hear what others thought.

Lucy wrote: ...where could she have gained the breadth of knowledge & experience to realistically depict such diverse times and places??..."
You've been more places than you know, both physically and in books. With practice, you already have the material and experiences to create interesting worlds.
As usual, more (experiences) is better for world building.

It occurred to me as I was preparing my questions for tonight that it might be good if I start posting them here as well. That way those who can't make it in person will have some idea of what we discussed, and maybe it'll inspire more conversation online too. Here's what I've got for All the Names:


1) Which stories were the most enjoyable or memorable for you, and why? Were there any stories that didn’t work as well for you?

2) How does All the Names come together as a complete collection? Did you discern any common themes or subjects? Did you feel like the stories were in conversation with one another, or were they totally separate pieces?

3) The stories in this book encompass a wide range of historical and geographical settings. Does Sachdeva evoke each of these times and places effectively? What techniques does she use to establish her settings in such a short space?

4) Nearly all of these stories involve some form of supernatural or science-fictive element, though it is often subtle. What do these speculative elements add to the stories, and how might these pieces be different if Sachdeva had gone for a more straightforward, “realistic” approach?

5) Is there a particular type of character Sachdeva likes to portray? If so, what qualities define her protagonists? Did you sympathize with these characters?

6) What was your take on the title story, inspired by the real-life kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram? Does Sachdeva handle this sensitive subject matter effectively and respectfully? What did you think of the supernatural aspect of the story?

7) How would you describe Sachdeva’s writing style? Is there a consistent voice, or does it change to suit the specific story? How does the style influence the other story elements?

8) What are the advantages or disadvantages of a short story collection over a novel? What does this form allow Sachdeva to do that she may not be able to otherwise?

9) How do these stories play with or subvert genre conventions? If you had to, how would you classify them? Did they remind you of anything else you’ve read?

10) Did you enjoy this book? Would you read something else by Sachdeva?

Zachary wrote: "It occurred to me as I was preparing my questions for tonight that it might be good if I start posting them here as well. That way those who can't make it in person will have some idea of what we d..."

I'd love it if you'd post the questions. Would help me focus my comments. (I'll always add extra comments if they're useful).