The Scent of Mogra and Other Storiesis a collection of four short stories about strong female characters dealing with difficult life-changing situations. The turmoil that they face is, often, the result of a social structure that discriminates against women. Through these powerful women characters, the stories reflect attitudes and ways of life in a village in India, and in modern day Mumbai; they highlight the values of an older generation, and the dreams of a new one. Beneath all their differences, The Scent of Mogra and Other Stories illuminate the quality of women’s lives, exposing the pain, the injustices, as well as the triumphs that make up their existence.

“These stories explore women’s souls. A bride writes letters that record her own “vanishing” in the prison of her marriage. Other women’s lives are determined by the living and the dead as they make “homes in many cities” from the Sabarmati River to Lake Ontario. Spirits, memories and dreams live inside their pressing realities. The world needs all our stories and Aparna Kaji Shah tells hers with honesty and poignancy in this new collection.”

—Kim Echlin, author of The Disappeared and Under the Visible Life

” The stories in this collection are touching and give readers a glimpse into the inner world of the modern Indian woman as she traverses different spaces.”

—Namita Devidayal, author of The Music Room, Aftertaste, and The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan