The anthology ended on a high note -- the two last stories were excellent. "Vaidehi and Her Earth Mother" was interesting. It started out humorous, with an author whose main character has run off. Apparently she didn't like the "perfect Indian wife" roles she was assigned and completing to perfection. But then the story takes a psychological twist, ending darkly. It's unlike any of the other stories in the book, both playful and sinister. I'm wondering if the author's other work is like this, and just how much of the personal made it into the story.
"Falling into the Earth" was also pretty cool. It's another story where modern characters connect with the Ramayana as they live out their lives, but wonder if they can find different endings. This has probably been my favorite framing device after the futuristic sci-fi ones; there's so much room for authors to both build on the epic and alter it in major ways. This particular version has a sweet ending, coming out of an unhappy marriage beginning and mental illness/chemical dependence to a revision of Sita's exile after the war. It's good to end the anthology in a story where Sita finally gets a decent ending.
Rama and Sita from Sita Sings the Blues (Dharma Records)
I am so glad you read this book and enjoyed so many of the stories, Susanna! One of my fun projects for this summer is to write up reading guides for some of these books, and I'll use your favorite stories and my favorites to create a two-week tour of this book for people who just want some great highlights. Thanks so much for all your notes! :-)
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