Trachea and Other Stories

A novel in linked episodes, told in unaffected direct prose, about the life of an Indian man called Sharad, who becomes a Canadian--of sorts. The story begins in childhood with the suicide of Sharad's father, who killed himself by cutting his throat. Sharad, brought up by his grandmother, grows up to become a nonconforming open-minded journalist involved in Bombay's union and communal (Hindu-Muslim) politics. He marries an Indo-Canadian woman, Gunjun, from Toronto whom he meets via a photo and emails. The story of his struggles with jobs, marriage, identity, and weather comes alive through the vivid experiences of this uncomfortable uncompromising new Canadian.