description
The following is a one-line description of each story contained in the collection.
The Cottonwood Borer: A brief examination of life, death, and reincarnation as a beetle.
When You Were Young: An Indian woman with a cleft palate is conflicted between the ideas of her mother and the ways of her father and husband.
Variations on a Blossoming Marriage: A divorcee recounts her failed marriages sardonically from A to Z.
Golconda, India 1686: A game of carrom decides the fate of a young woman and her father in 1686 India.
Anand's First Birthday: A mother cannot understand why her family doesn't love her enough to remember her son's first birthday.
Asha Ma: A daughter uncovers a dark secret from her parents' past.
Superheroes: A modern superhero constructed through negations.
Pancake Race: A boy and his sister witness the fragility of their mother through a silly race.
Pro Choice: A battered woman seeks escape at any cost.
The Reincarnation of Chamunda: An older Indian woman struggles to find a husband during humiliating bride-viewings.
Whatcha Bid?: A lonely woman finds compassion and emotion through the purchase of abandoned storage units.
How Miriam Came to Learn about Love: A psychopathic female violently uncovers the true meaning of love.
A Note on the Fridge: Lacking significance in her own life, a woman attempts to forge meaning elsewhere.
The Pictures in the Frames: Images of strangers in photo frames temporarily provide comfort to a depressed older woman.