Karma and Other Stories

By Rishi Reddi

Book Overview

In this sparkling collection, award-winning writer Rishi Reddi weaves a multigenerational tapestry of interconnected lives, depicting members of an Indian American community struggling to balance the demands of tradition with the allure of Western life.

In "Lord Krishna," a teenager is offended when his evangelical history teacher likens the Hindu deity to Satan, but ultimately forgives the teacher against his father's wishes. In the title story, "Karma," an unemployed professor rescues birds in downtown Boston after his wealthy brother kicks him out of his home. In "Justice Shiva Ram Murthy," which appeared in The Best American Short Stories 2005, an irascible retired judge reconnects with a childhood friend while adjusting to a new life with his daughter and her American husband. In "Devadasi," a beautiful young woman raised in the United States travels back to India and challenges the sexual confines of her culture. And in "Bangles," a widow decides to return to her native village to flee her son's off-putting American ways.

Set mostly in the Boston area, with side trips to an isolated immigrant community in Wichita, Kansas, and the characters' hometown of Hyderabad, India, Karma and Other Stories introduces a luminous new voice.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060898828
• ISBN13: 9780060898823
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful stories about people

I've been reading this book at night, before going to bed. That's about the right pace; it lets me reflect on each story. And the last three nights I've found myself saying "man this is a good book." Each story is about people, with the same motivations and conflicts that most of us can identify with. The lenses we see those conflicts through are different, but it just helps to give a different perspective, and see how much alike people are deep down inside. The need of an elder for respect; the conflict between duty and desire for a path; the interaction beween husband and wife who have grown a little distant and are trying to figure out what's wrong; the failure of people to fit into others' preconceived roles for them. The fact that they're mostly set in Lexington, MA, in a particular Americanized ethnic community serves more to highlight the commonality than set apart the cultures. I think the study of people is fun and interesting. If you do, too, then this is a really great book.

Thoughtfully told stories of the joys and heartaches of adjustment

Ms. Reddi has written a very compelling set of stories that tell it like it is. The characters are genuine and their lives and the situations and decisions that confront them are universal and certainly not restricted to the issues facing those who have one foot in American and one foot in India. I teach a theme-based writing course at a university and I often use the theme of "home." My students are reading this collection as one of their textbooks this semester and it has triggered many many interesting discussions. Reddi writes with the same passion and sensibility as Chitra Divakaruni, in her collection of short stories, Arranged Marriage.

must read this

one of the most heartbreakingly truthful books i've read in a long time, one of the best-written i've read in years, as well as a very truthful view into a culture many of us would otherwise find difficult to penetrate and understand. this book is a beautiful example of how cultures may have differences, but everyone is human and ultimately the same.

A delightful collection!

These are evocative stories... most do not end with an event, and most do not have a wrap-it-all-up ending... but each story leaves you with a feeling, an emotional response. I highly recommend "Karma and Other Stories." Well written, and very engaging.

Indian Americans can rejoice at the reality presented in this book

A great thought provoking book that really hits home to those of us searching for a proper balance between Eastern and Western values. Ms Reddi manages to convey a powerful message to all her readers by telling us of the outcomes of inter-marriages, where Indian Americans are involved. Due to a heavy influence of culture, Indian parents have a very difficult time adjusting to their children's new found lives and it is within this context that the book prevails in delivering its message. Thanks for making a great read about life and love from a cultural perspective.