What Was Always Hers, Is There In Your Life Too...

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Indo-Canadian writer Uma Parameswaran's much appraised book, What Was Always Hers is a collection of short stories that sketch a vivid world of human relationships, especially female relationships. The intense and powerful stories in this collection will make you feel like someone very close to you sitting next to you and telling a story.

All the stories in this collection attain individual attention due to the style of writing and wry humour. The variety of situations in many women's lives is described with an unusual touch of feminism. The human interactions in these short stories are very subtle and at the same time, poignant.

Some of the short stories are comfortably longer than the other ones. There are many characters that may catch your attention like the young father with the commuting marriage in the last story and the characters in 'Maru'. The situations may be familiar to the reader and the relationship may be intricate… However these short stories with their simple and mastery style give a food for thought to the reader.

Set in Canada, the characters in these stories reflect the realistic experience of the South Asian migrant experience in Canada. The narration in first person as well as in third person and the author describes the minds of the people in different ages, cultural backgrounds and genders.

Overall, What Was Always Hers is a combination of deep, meaningful thoughts that captures the essence of just being an Indian woman in North America. It is about the survival and triumph of women in relationships. I strongly suggest this book to all and especially to the ones with migrant roots.