New Delhi, April 2023: Penguin is thrilled to announce the publication of a fascinating collection of short stories titled, My Mother Pattu by the award-winning short story writer Saras Manickam. Set in Asia and Southeast Asia and spanning a time period from the 1960s to the present day, these stories are both amusing and searing, revealing truths about prejudices, desires, dreams, and delusions that are often hidden beneath the surface of happy multiracial communities. The book is slated to come out later in May 2023 from Penguin Books.
What sets this collection apart is the way that what is not said is just as important as what is. Each story is like a lace handkerchief, with crafted empty spaces that are vital to the overall design. The hidden but implied elements carry the reader forward, forcing them to confront their own personal comfort zones and expectations in life. The Saras Manickam is a short story writer who has worked as a teacher, college lecturer, school workbook writer, copywriter, and language trainer. She has gained success in recent years, rejecting feel-good sentimentality for authenticity. In 2019, she won the Regional Prize for Asia in the international Commonwealth short story prize. She was also shortlisted for the 2021 Master’s Review Summer Short Story Award.
This book is a must-read for anyone who loves gripping, interesting, and moving tales about the multicultural life we live. These stories speak to men and women across the racial divide as they reveal universal lived experiences such as loss, love, family, identity, racism, friendship, self-deception, and denial. Readers from all over the world will enjoy a glimpse into lives that appear different from theirs but feel similar.

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