Short Stories & Anthologies
![Sindya Bhanoo - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B09692Q9XV.jpg)
Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories
*Winner of the 2022 New American Voices Award*
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
These intimate stories of South Indian immigrants and the families they left behind center women's lives and ask how women both claim and surrender power-a stunning debut collection from an O. Henry Prize winner
Traveling from Pittsburgh to Eastern Washington to Tamil Nadu, these stories about dislocation and dissonance see immigrants and their families confront the costs of leaving and staying, identifying sublime symmetries in lives growing apart.
In "Malliga Homes," selected by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for an O. Henry Prize, a widow in a retirement community glimpses her future while waiting for her daughter to visit from America. In "No. 16 Model House Road," a woman long subordinate to her husband makes a choice of her own after she inherits a house. In "Nature Exchange," a mother grieving in the wake of a school shooting finds an unusual obsession. In "A Life in America," a professor finds himself accused of having exploited his graduate students.
Sindya Bhanoo's haunting stories show us how immigrants' paths, and the paths of those they leave behind, are never simple. Bhanoo takes us along on their complicated journeys where regret, hope, and triumph appear in disguise.
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
These intimate stories of South Indian immigrants and the families they left behind center women's lives and ask how women both claim and surrender power-a stunning debut collection from an O. Henry Prize winner
Traveling from Pittsburgh to Eastern Washington to Tamil Nadu, these stories about dislocation and dissonance see immigrants and their families confront the costs of leaving and staying, identifying sublime symmetries in lives growing apart.
In "Malliga Homes," selected by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for an O. Henry Prize, a widow in a retirement community glimpses her future while waiting for her daughter to visit from America. In "No. 16 Model House Road," a woman long subordinate to her husband makes a choice of her own after she inherits a house. In "Nature Exchange," a mother grieving in the wake of a school shooting finds an unusual obsession. In "A Life in America," a professor finds himself accused of having exploited his graduate students.
Sindya Bhanoo's haunting stories show us how immigrants' paths, and the paths of those they leave behind, are never simple. Bhanoo takes us along on their complicated journeys where regret, hope, and triumph appear in disguise.
Editorial Reviews
*Winner of the 2022 New American Voices Award*
Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
Finalist for the 2023 Oregon Book Award for Fiction
Finalist for the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Longlisted for The Story Prize
2023 ALA RUSA Notable Book
Kirkus Reviews, A Best Fiction Book of the Year
"Tender and precise . . . Bhanoo's focus is clear and tightly observed, centering the decisions and difficulties of a global life, some of them gut-wrenching . . . These stories rattle and shake with the heartache of separation, rendering palpable the magnitude of small decisions in our less-than-small world." -Samantha Hunt, The New York Times Book Review
"Yearning drives the characters in Sindya Bhanoo's elegant, sensitive debut collection Seeking Fortune Elsewhere . . . These eight stories investigate the many ways that loneliness can enter a life and Bhanoo makes the reader feel every heartbreak through her skillful, measured prose." -Jenny Shank, Star Tribune
"Reconceptualizes the great American road trip, centering Indian immigrants-particularly, Tamil women-and their children as its drivers and passengers . . . The journeys . . . carry readers across the vast American landscape, transcending state boundaries and biomes to stitch a narrative mosaic, its patches cut from distinct corners of the country . . . Bhanoo tackles complexity with a light hand. The writing is lush and sensory . . . With Seeking Fortune Elsewhere and its glimpse into the lives of Tamil immigrants, Bhanoo artfully extends the burgeoning South Asian American literary canon's trajectory." -Meena Venkataramanan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"This debut collection of short stories from Sindya Bhanoo is a rich exploration of the South Indian immigrant experience . . . Raw, honest, and intimate, Bhanoo's gift for storytelling shines in these short stories that paint full pictures and connect with each other, though they take place in different countries." -Kaitlin Stevens, BuzzFeed
"Eight slice-of-life narratives . . . Seeking Fortune E...
Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
Finalist for the 2023 Oregon Book Award for Fiction
Finalist for the Sergio Troncoso Award for Best First Book of Fiction
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Longlisted for The Story Prize
2023 ALA RUSA Notable Book
Kirkus Reviews, A Best Fiction Book of the Year
"Tender and precise . . . Bhanoo's focus is clear and tightly observed, centering the decisions and difficulties of a global life, some of them gut-wrenching . . . These stories rattle and shake with the heartache of separation, rendering palpable the magnitude of small decisions in our less-than-small world." -Samantha Hunt, The New York Times Book Review
"Yearning drives the characters in Sindya Bhanoo's elegant, sensitive debut collection Seeking Fortune Elsewhere . . . These eight stories investigate the many ways that loneliness can enter a life and Bhanoo makes the reader feel every heartbreak through her skillful, measured prose." -Jenny Shank, Star Tribune
"Reconceptualizes the great American road trip, centering Indian immigrants-particularly, Tamil women-and their children as its drivers and passengers . . . The journeys . . . carry readers across the vast American landscape, transcending state boundaries and biomes to stitch a narrative mosaic, its patches cut from distinct corners of the country . . . Bhanoo tackles complexity with a light hand. The writing is lush and sensory . . . With Seeking Fortune Elsewhere and its glimpse into the lives of Tamil immigrants, Bhanoo artfully extends the burgeoning South Asian American literary canon's trajectory." -Meena Venkataramanan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"This debut collection of short stories from Sindya Bhanoo is a rich exploration of the South Indian immigrant experience . . . Raw, honest, and intimate, Bhanoo's gift for storytelling shines in these short stories that paint full pictures and connect with each other, though they take place in different countries." -Kaitlin Stevens, BuzzFeed
"Eight slice-of-life narratives . . . Seeking Fortune E...
Readers Top Reviews
Barbara Jesrani Da
Bhanoo’s characters are so real you can almost hear the dialogue in the story, spoken in their own voices. The stories are artfully spooled out, awakening the reader’s curiosity. A curiosity that is well rewarded by the complex but psychologically correct endings. She masterfully creates atmospheres, using all the senses. The sights, sounds, smells and textures are so true to the Indian and Indo-American experience in their particularity that anyone familiar with that milieu can instantly relate. Those not familiar with that world will learn a great deal about the lives of Indians, both in America and in India. The writer’s intimate understanding of her characters allows her to depict them with clarity, complexity and compassion. This is a writer with a bright future and I look forward to reading more of her work as it is published.
Kriti Vichare
Beautifully written short stories that leave you wanting more. I couldn’t put the book down and keep thinking about the characters now that I’m done. Every little nuance was insightful and emotional.
Charlotte
The characters in these stories remain vivid long after closing the book. I find myself thinking about them, and wondering how things went after their story ended in the book.
A.B.
A refreshing take on diaspora life that tugs at all the right heartstrings. Take a walk down your own memory lane as you concoct vivid memories from familiar places with fictional characters you’ve felt like you’ve always known :) Great job and look forward to reading more of your work!
GG
Sindya is an amazing author :). I cannot stop reading her book :). I love the adventure she has me on ;). I love the book over too:). I need to find her bag with the flowers so and I can take it to work:). My family is standing in line waiting to read your book Sindya ;). I am so proud to know you:). 🤗🙏😉. Thank you:).
