In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices short story collection focussing mainly on BIPOC woman characters and their emotions and conflicts. Partly literary, mostly true to life, entirely character-oriented. A good read when in the right mood for something deliberate and realistic.

This short story collection has fourteen character-oriented tales, with most of them coming from a woman’s perspective. There is no author’s note, but the publisher’s note at the end of the book says that it “charts the lives of racialised women as they navigate their relationships, aspirations, and the burdens of memory and expectations.” As this indicates, the dominant mood in the stories is not light and fluffy. The central characters range in age from child to adult, but the approach in every story is somewhat introspective.

The stories have been divided into three untitled sets (Part One with four tales and Parts Two and Three with five stories each), but I simply couldn’t figure out the basis of this division. Part One was the weakest for me, and had I not been an unwilling DNFer, I might have given up on this book after the third story. But good that I persisted – Parts Two and Three had some of the best character-focussed stories I have read in a long while.

The endings are not in the traditional HEA format, nor are they abrupt. Almost all stories end at a point when there is a life-changing decision or step being taken. While these may not satisfy every reader, especially those who prefer seeing happy faces at the end, they still work excellently for each narrative.

While I liked most of the endings, I struggled a bit more with the story structuring and the writing approach. It is tough to guess at the beginning of each tale the direction it will take. The story seems to meander across various points of a character’s life, whether on a single day or over a longer time period. Going with the flow would be better, as it is nigh on impossible to figure out the central intent of the narrative for at least half of the story. The overly mellow writing style doesn’t help; though I liked the stories, I didn’t feel that compulsion to keep reading more.

All the protagonists are BIPOC characters of varied ages, most coming from South Asian backgrounds and all settled in Canada. Though the racial aspect is highlighted in the theme, the stories don’t focus only on racial struggles or microaggressions. The plots are more introspective than action oriented, with each narrative delving into emotions and responses to potential challenges, which go well beyond racial identities. Also, unlike what the blurb declares, the narration isn’t always from a woman’s perspective. That said, every single story has a strong woman character, and even if we see her through the eyes of the narrator, her personality comes out strongly.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the fourteen stories, all except two reached or crossed the three stars mark, meaning I liked most of them. Here are my top favourites, with 4+ stars each.

🍁 Backstage Passes: Is rebellion really worth it? An interesting look at this question through the lives of two sisters in a conservative Indian family now settled in Canada. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍁 The Fundraiser: The travails of being a South Asian school mom in the US. Quite different from typical stories with this premise. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🍁 Daksha Takes the Cake: Such a lovely story about an aspiring writer who discovers a hobby! I loved how heartfelt and down-to-earth this was. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍁 The Illness: A love story. Not romance, not lust, not steam. Just genuine, down-to-earth, heartfelt love. One of the most beautiful stories I have read in a long time. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍁 Braids : Rarely do we see the story of an Indian dad trying to connect with his teen daughter. That unusual perspective itself makes this a winner, but the plot and the dual-narrative perspective adds to the impact. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🍁 The Worrier: A man takes multiple years to realise the purpose of his life. Enjoyed the subtle drama of this story, though it was a bit too meandering. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

All in all, a good collection with some true-to-life characters and realistic issues. The relatability of the characters and the situations they face, and the down-to-earth writing style, imbues every story with an honest realism.

Recommended to short story lovers who enjoy OwnVoices tales about human emotions and routine conflicts. It will work better when you are in the mood for something character-oriented and introspective.

3.55 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each tale.

My thanks to ECW Press for providing the DRC of “An Astonishment of Stars” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

There’s a warm atmosphere in these pages, with very cozy spaces and descriptions that make you want to snuggle up under a thick blanket. The stronger stories are towards the end, and the result is a gradual build of emotion until the dam bursts.

Instead of a more typical short story, these almost feel more like parables. The moral of most of them seemed to be that if you aren’t humble and meek and obedient to your family, then you will be punished. Want to go to a concert? That will send you down the path of ruin and a life of suffering. Want to wear nice clothes? Your materialistic desires are a failure of your character and your relationship is doomed to fail. If you ever want to do anything just because it’s something you are interested in, you will destroy your entire family.

Which, I mean, is certainly a way of looking at things. I have to fundamentally disagree with a lot of what the author seems to be saying: that the only good people are quiet people, who keep their heads down and work hard and never, ever draw attention to themselves. But that’s really just my perspective. I think if that reflects your personal morals and beliefs, then you’ll really enjoy this collection. The stories are simple but well written, and like I said, super cozy. It’s just beginning to cool where I live and I loved the settings presented here, like the reading equivalent of drinking hot tea. Fair warning: this book WILL make you want to kick on your oven and start baking.

(Also, a special shoutout to the outstanding cover design!)

I was going to begin my review by calling this collection unique but would be remiss not to mention how annoying of an adjective that is for me to use here. It's only society's default to eurocentrism that causes this to feel "unique" to me; Let me be clear I only mean the book itself, not the experiences depicted within. I am, quite frankly, ashamed for not having previously put in the effort to seek out BIPOC authors and stories. Had I done so, I'm curious if I would have been able to appreciate the nuances of her writing itself, more than the bigger picture of each story taking so much attention, as they felt so new and unique to me. Or is it better that I didn't focus on the writing, and instead took in the heart of the stories? Of course, there is the option to revisit this as well, each time focusing on one or the other. I could (and will in my head) keep going back and forth on this.

For the stories themselves:
There were a few stories that I couldn't tell you a single detail about. It was a battle to get through at points; If it wasn't a book I'd been approved by NetGalley for review, I would have given up on this after coming upon the first story that bored me. That being said, I am SO glad I didn't give up. Some of the hardest hitting stories were toward the end. Admittedly I'm not sure if there's a strategy to organizing a collection of stories like this, but I have to assume there is... I'd be interested to learn if this follows that strategy.

The lulls were just SO apparent and hard to overcome for me, preventing a 5/5 star rating. Aside from those, I was really moved by the remainders and enjoyed Kirti Bhadresa's style of writing.

<b>The stories that have stuck with me most are:</b>
Backstage Passes
Daksha Takes the Cake
The Illness
Heads Are Going to Roll
The Doctors' Lounge
The Gossip
In a Name

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Kirti Bhadresa and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

Here is a short story collection that shows you can write powerful stories with quiet sensitivity. Instead of relying on shock value or plot twists to engage, Kirti Bhadresa's collection explores earnestness and reaches new levels of vulnerability.

Bhadresa's stories are deceptively straightforward. Her writing gives just enough detail to let your imagination fill in the rest.

This collection explores Southeast Asian/Canadian identities and challenges readers who may tend to flatten these varied experiences.

Characters bloom in their carefully considered settings. And most, if not all, of the stories end with a certain sense of release or renewal.

The softness doesn't mean Bhadresa shies away from difficult subjects like death or grief. "The Illness" made me cry and I find myself continuing to think about "Lighten Up."

I received a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley and ECW Press in exchange for an honest review.

~E-ARC review via NetGalley. All ideas expressed are my own~

An Astonishment of Stars by Kirti Bhadresa captured my attention from the first page. An array of short stories, some even feeling closer to flash fiction, take the reader through many characters' nuanced lives and relationships. I found myself heartbroken when certain stories ended, smiling and crying during others, and like I was looking into stunning windows the author so carefully created. One of the things I appreciated most about this book was the gentle certainty with which the author used the setting and characters to explore larger life and intersectional themes.

I would recommend this book to anyone, but lovers of literary fiction short stories will especially adore this introspective deep dive into characters and their most delicate turning points and moments.

This short story collection had a wide variety of texts, all of them dealing with the whole range of human emotions.
Although this collection is about non-white (mostly women) and their experience as such, their stories also tell of love, grief, passion, longing & ambition. It is a deeply emotional short story collection, with some texts being much stronger than others.
Some felt weaker to me, and I didn’t quite feel the urge to keep reading as I do with a lot of my favourite books, hence the three stars out of five. However - there were moments where I was tearing up, and some where I really connected with the main characters.

Reviewing potential collections for Mslexia's short story column - "What's New in Short Stories"
Thank you for the early copy!

Get ready to meet a range of characters in this fascinating story collection that explores the lives of those who are so often ignored, yet provide the essential labour that others prefer not to dirty their hands with.

These are ordinary people, some in less than advantageous life circumstances, but there are universal emotions and family dynamics at play that most readers will recognise.

It's good to see BIPOC representation here. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy short stories - particular those with a multicultural element.