All That We Carry: Stories Across Place and Time Short Stories of Exile, Survival & Identity in Modern India

A young woman moves through her day under endless stares: commuters, office colleagues, clients, and even the cab driver's rearview mirror. Every glance chips away at her sense of self. How far does the gaze travel? A woman fled her village twenty-seven years ago, determined to never look back. A lifetime later, she seeks to return to the place where first love and first loss shaped her future. What did she leave behind, and what survived? A young man is chased by armed rioters on the street. As they close in, he faces a choice: dignity or survival? And whatever he may choose: is it his dignity that is lost, or his identity? How do we hold onto who we are... when the world often demands that we be someone else? All that We Carry is a portrait of lives woven by pressure, choice, and the courage to break free. Richly layered and quietly arresting, the stories in this collection are sure to linger in the mind long after the last page is turned.