In the Wake of Loss — Sheila James

This debut collection of short stories focuses on the conflicts and challenges experienced by diasporic South Asian characters, who struggle to face truths about intimate relationships, often confronted by violence and always negotiating between the banal and the extraordinary events that shape their lives. These characters include Rajani, a mail-order-bride who opens a lingerie shop only to find herself and her sister implicated in the trial of a serial killer; Nilika, an elderly and lower-caste woman, living in poverty with her two sons, one cruel, the other kind; Miriam, a Muslim lesbian who escapes her family and the feminist community and sets up a bed and breakfast with her lover; and Rajan, a refugee and former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who concocts a playboy image to escape memories of the brutal war in Sri Lanka. These stories will appeal to readers who are interested in viewing the immigrant experience in a contemporary and complex light. They are bold explorations of exile, desire, violence and grief, conveyed with wit and candour, ultimately evoking resilience and hope.