Book Review: Bridges Not Borders

Book Review: Bridges Not Borders

By Laura McCarthy.

Bridges Not Borders is an anthology of South Asian short stories, edited by Wales-based Aiysha Jahan and Susmita Bhattacharya, who lives in Winchester. The aim of the book is to celebrate unity and to act as a megaphone for a variety of voices. Overall, this a truly valuable collection in that it champions diversity, providing insight into South Asian culture through a range of unique perspectives. Like any anthology, however, certain stories within the collection stand out whilst others don’t quite stick the landing.

Personally, I found Tea with a Side of Flowers to be a strong opener, by far one of the best in the collection. In this, women and the platonic relationships of women are the core of the story. This is a compelling exploration of both flawed and abusive romantic relationships; in the fallout, women can find solace in one another. Asian culture is woven throughout – food and drink are used symbolically to emphasise the love between women and girls.

In regards to the examination of women within relationships, I liked how The Law of Marriages showed the contrasting thoughts and the respectable morality of a mother who accepts her daughter’s choices in the matter of love, even though she disagrees with those choices. It is bittersweet to see her own half-regrets emerge in the story too.

I also found A Aa E Ee to use the fable-like structure effectively and purposefully. In this, an overly proud educator learns a lesson from his pupil. Having been a teacher myself, it’s a relatable premise in that I have learnt a lot from young people throughout the years I have worked in education. This solid narrative delivers a good message: it’s OK to be wrong and to allow the youth to teach you. 

In Teental, Dutta uses some glorious imagery and revels in the beauty and brutality of dance. Due to the classic set up of two rival dancers battling it out for recognition, the premise may remind one of Black Swan, especially in the tense and somewhat uncomfortable tone when the rivals strive to be the best. 

Both Eavesdropping Shamelessly and Yellowed Pages and Dinner Rolls present differing but equally engaging insights into family. Eavesdropping Shamelessly offers a sentimental but real and grounded narrative about what it means to be part of a family. It builds characters which you can invest in, a great feat for the short story format. Yellowed Pages and Dinner Rolls is a valuable examination into the transgender experience and how transitioning gender can impact family dynamics. 

Additionally, A Good Mother offers a truly unique tale where humans and rakkosh (demonic entities which eat humans) live side by side. This is an uneasy and unusual read which I highly recommend. Even for those unfamiliar with the rakkosh, this makes for a surreal and engaging story. Meanwhile, I liked the choice to have two older women as the main characters in Two Women and the story had a great ending.

I also greatly respect Myself Durges for using broken English to present the voice of their character, highlighting his ambitious nature; he is a likeable character, propelled to achieve by the spirit of entrepreneurship. The use of this voice reminds me of poets such as Daljit Nagra and John Agard as all three writers use phonetic language to celebrate culture. However, I do find this strategy works better in the poetry format.

Other stories in the book will certainly appeal to others even if they weren’t for me. For example, Athu Eats a Mango! is an interesting experiment in creative writing, particularly in the implementation of the child’s perspective as central to the story. A young child’s pursuit of a mango sparks an ambition to be educated. I can see many readers finding this quite charming but, for me, read as a symptom of a lot of modern literature in that it focuses on a banal detail which is hard to invest in and yet we are expected to buy in. 

Similarly, My Brother is a Talib didn’t suit my personal preferences due to the writing style. The writing is, however, entirely purposeful and intentional. Khan uses a sparse and bleak tone to reflect a miserable, violent world. The detached use of second person combined with the lack of variety in the writing makes it hard for me to invest in. I found the style to be reminiscent of Tender Is The Flesh; I also didn’t like Tender Is The Flesh for much the same reason but know many, many people did. If you did, maybe this short story will be interesting to you too.

In this sense, Invisible Bridges Burn the Brightest delivered an interesting idea but I found it exhausting to read; again, I believe this to be intentional as I felt as tired as the sleep deprived characters throughout their ordeal. This story explores the burden of gender roles and how they can damage a family. Likewise, the premise of how a birth certificate can cause a breach in the relationship of husband and wife in The Difference Between Gestures and Symbols will be an intriguing one for many but I couldn’t engage with it myself.

In Pea Soup, Iyer explores discrimination. It’s a conversation worth having but this particular delivery was not especially memorable for me, although I am sure others will connect with this on a much deeper level. Again, I wasn’t personally captured by The God on the Other Side of the Wall due to the typical Romeo & Juliet style narrative about two sparring families. It is thoughtfully done though, the fighting families reflected by the ongoing war.

Overall, I recommend the collection for those who enjoy short stories and are interested in seeing a variety of diverse perspectives from South Asia. Writing is so subjective that I am sure your experience will be entirely different from my own – which is wonderful! I feel privileged to have read this collection and really encourage readers to support these writers.

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