The World With Its Mouth Open by Zahid Rafiq (Paperback) (PREORDER)

Fiction - Short Stories - Literary - World Literature - India

RELEASE DATE: 12/3/2024  (WILL SHIP DIRECTLY FROM OUR SUPPLIER'S WAREHOUSE AND ARRIVE 1-2 DAYS AFTER THE RELEASE DATE)

“An utterly exquisite debut.”―Emily Fridlund, author of History of Wolves

In eleven stories, The World With Its Mouth Open follows the inner lives of people in Kashmir as they walk the uncertain terrain of their days, fractured from years of war. From a shopkeeper’s encounter with a mannequin, to an expectant mother walking on a precarious road, to a young boy wavering between dreams and reality, to two dogs wandering the city, these stories weave in larger, devastating themes of loss, grief, violence, longing, and injustice with the threads of smaller, everyday realities that confront the characters’ lives in profound ways. Although the stories circle the darker aspects of life, they are―at the same time―an attempt to run into life, into humor, into beauty, into another person who can offer refuge, if momentarily.

Zahid Rafiq’s The World With Its Mouth Open is an original and powerful debut collection announcing the arrival of a new voice that bears witness to the human condition with nuance, heart, humor, and incredible insight.

AUTHOR BIO: 

Zahid Rafiq is a writer living in Srinagar, Kashmir. He was a journalist for several years before turning to writing fiction. The World With Its Mouth Open is his first book.

Tenderly and exquisitely rendered, these eleven powerful stories track everyday lives, Rafiq reminds us that Kashmir is not a news item, but a home to real people, a place thrumming with life. There is instability and violence, but amidst this shopkeepers still negotiate with good humor, children play, the elderly count their final days, women contend with societal pressures, and families simply try to survive. A powerful debut by a talented writer.--Sindya Bhanoo, author of Seeking Fortune Elsewhere

The World With Its Mouth Open is a brilliant debut collection, both restrained and revelatory. In eleven meticulously crafted stories, Zahid Rafiq details the human mechanics of modern-day Kashmiri life. There is so much of the world here, rendered in small intimate moments of grief, violence, humor, and wanting, every sentence taut as a tendon. Rafiq is a writer of considerable talent, and this collection marks the beginning of what will be a marvelous literary career.--Omar El Akkad, author of What Strange Paradise

A born storyteller doesn't flinch from the beauty or the terror of the everyday. The World With Its Mouth Open is shot through with wonder and awe at how the humble story truly opens up the entire world. A fearless, outstanding collection.--Manuel Muñoz, author of The Consequences

Piercing. . . . poignant. . . . Rafiq artfully peels back the layers of his characters' emotions, exposing raw truths and complex entanglements. . . . These revelatory stories leave a mark.-- "Publishers Weekly"

Stunning. . . . In understated but lyrical prose, these stories reveal moments of beauty--a box decorated with poppies, the yellow silk lining of a ruined suitcase--amid overpowering loss. Recommend to fans of Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie.-- "Booklist, Starred Review"