A new collection of short stories by writers from India and beyond shows the many ways revenge manifests itself
Robin McLean
Hell Hath No Fury (Hachette India) is a compilation of 13 short stories about revenge. The title is fittingly borrowed from the English playwright William Congreve’s play, The Mourning Bride. In her introduction, the editor Shinie Antony writes, “A woman who plots revenge reinvents herself, reclaims the planet: This place is mine too. She is not waiting for applause… just righting wrongs.” The characters in the book display a range of traits, countering the stereotype of a “demure, shy” woman, with their daring, wit, strangeness, and defiance.
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Here are The Guide’s top five recommendations from the collection:
1. The Thorny Apple: Jahnavi Barua’s 60-year-old protagonist, a former domestic help in Mumbai, returns to her hometown with enough savings to buy 10 bighas (measure of land; term used widely in rural India) of land. When she meets the young Michael, she believes she’s found love. A revelation will shake her life.
2. The Man Who Types: The ‘Typing Man’ opens and closes his shop on the clock, until one day, when a woman visits him. She stays for hours, and the whole town watches her fixatedly, waiting for her to leave. One letter will lead to a sad turn of events in AT Boyle’s short story.
3. When Carl’s Café Closed Its Door on Me: A daughter narrates the story of her relationship with her mother, who carries big dreams, a father who left the family, and the strangeness of the small town they lived in. The late writer Rudrakshi Bhattacharjee’s story was first published in her collection of short stories, This Is How It Took Place (HarperCollins).
4. This Little Heart of Mine: This narrative comes with a warning; it’s one of abuse. Written by Shinie Antony, it traces a few hours in the life of a young woman when a tragic event takes place. The story follows what goes through her mind hours later.
5. True Carnivores: Robin McLean’s startling prose leans into exploring a complicated character, little Theo’s aunt. She steals her sister’s money and kidnaps her son, taking him on a wild journey across America. McLean digs into the relationship that develops between the two.
Available Leading bookstores and e-stores
Cost Rs 599
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