The Sherpa and Other Fictions
by Nila Gupta

In this riveting new collection, author Nila Gupta reveals intersections of contemporary Canadian and Indian cultures with raw authenticity. A young Canadian travels to India to explore her roots and find the woman who loved her like a daughter; a doctor struggles against military corruption as he investigates a soldier's suspicious injuries in Kashmir; a gay man returns to the India of his childhood in search of redemption for his betrayal of his first love. Readers take a rickety tin bus up the side of a mountain, taste the sweetness of ras gullas, experience the tension between a young Canadian-raised woman and her father and sink into the scented jostle of the ladies compartment on an Indian train.

Drawing on her own connections to India and her reflections as a Canadian, Gupta renders with a sure hand the layered realities of the two cultures. Using powerful imagery and brilliant metaphor, she delves into themes of war and identity. From intolerance of homosexuality and oppressive male attitudes towards women, to the challenges of being an immigrant or a second-generation Canadian, to the plight of refugees and the effects of endemic military corruption, Gupta skilfully distills global issues into the nine stories of the anthology.

The characters in these vivid stories are dealing with universal struggles: who they are, what they can become and how they can find compassion within challenging circumstances. This debut collection will resonate with all those who have searched for their own identity and sought understanding in a world of contradictions.