The major theme of this story by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is cultural conflict: the problems that can occur when people from countries with highly developed religious and cultural norms (in this case India) immigrate to the West. Widowed Mrs Dutti’s attempts to integrate with her son’s Americanized family cause problems on both sides. Fortunately, she finds the courage to admit she will be much happier back home. Tellingly, as the only Indian family in the neighbourhood, her son and daughter-in-law share her fear of not “fitting in”. Other themes include generational differences, gender roles, family loyalty, pride, courage and happiness. More…
Zita
There are two Zitas in this romantic coming of age story by Arturo B Rotor. The first is the woman who caused a broken-hearted young man to seek solace teaching on Anayat, an off-the-grid Philippine island of broken cliffs and coconut palms; the second, an adolescent Anayat schoolgirl who he agrees to teach how “to be a lady”. As sometimes happens, schoolgirl Zita develops a crush on the teacher. When he leaves in the hope of reconciling with his former love, she comes to understand something he once told her. Themes: unrequited love, alienation, depression, teenage infatuation. More…
The Glass of Milk
In this story by Manuel Rojas, a boy who has run away to sea finds himself stranded, penniless and hungry in a foreign port. He is too proud to beg for food on the dockside, and too timid to ask in the cheap taverns nearby. Rather than steal food, he decides to order something in a dairy (milk bar), even though he can’t pay for it, and accept the consequences. Instead of punishment, he is met with kindness and compassion. Themes include the lure of the sea, poverty, loneliness and isolation, pride, desperation, shame, honor and kindness. More…
The Rats in the Walls
In this story by H. P. Lovecraft, the sound of a swarm of rats in the walls of his recently restored family castle causes the last of a long line of British aristocrats to lead a group of scientists to explore its long-sealed lower chambers. There they find a hidden city and evidence spanning many millennia of the capture and farming of human and quadrupedal sub-human beings for sacrifice and consumption. The excitement is too much for the owner, who quickly reverts to his old family ways. Themes include heritage and identity, genetic madness, paganism, human sacrifice. More…
All You Zombies
Despite the title, this fascinating story from science fiction writer Robert Heinlein has nothing to do with zombies of the “walking dead” kind. Rather, it is a cleverly constructed brainteaser that explores some potential problems and paradoxes of time-travel. We can’t say more without spoiling the story, but can tell you that first time readers usually come away with their heads spinning from trying to work out “who is who” and “who did what to whom”. If you are similarly confused, Wikipedia has an excellent summary of the relationships and sequence of events here. Themes: time-travel, intersexuality, isolation. More…