The Shenanigans of Time

Book excerpt: The Shenanigans of Time is an absorbing, vivid collection of interlocking stories. P. A. Chawla, reveals myriad emotions - the turmoil and transcendence of childhood, parenthood, sex and love – that shape immigrant lives.Whether it is the motelier Deven Shah and his deep seated desire to be embraced as the quintessential local only to be regarded as a foreigner by his own child, or Saya Sharma who fades in and out of her suburban life like a migratory bird, or the visiting Feroz grasping for a chance at domesticity with the volatile Rita, The Shenanigans of Time is ultimately a hymn of praise for the resilience of the human spirit and the desire for a place to call home.The author understands how families challenge and sustain their members. Lyrical, descriptive prose conjures the imagery … “And father and son plucked an hour out of time, to be savored then stored in the cool, dark cellar of memory marked Private Reserve.”