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She of the Mountains

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She of the Mountains

Written by: Vivek Shraya
Narrated by: Vivek Shraya
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About this listen

A "Globe 100" Best Book of the Year (The Globe and Mail)
Lambda Literary Award Finalist

In the beginning, there is no he. There is no she.

Two cells make up one cell. This is the mathematics behind creation. One plus one makes one. Life begets life. We are the period to a sentence, the effect to a cause, always belonging to someone. We are never our own.

This is why we are so lonely.

She of the Mountains is a beautifully rendered novel by Vivek Shraya, the author of the Lambda Literary Award finalist God Loves Hair. Shraya weaves a passionate, contemporary love story between a man and his body, with a re-imagining of Hindu mythology. Both narratives explore the complexities of embodiment and the damaging effects that policing gender and sexuality can have on the human heart.

Bespeak Audio Editions brings Canadian voices to the world with audiobook editions of some of the country’s greatest works of literature, performed by Canadian actors.

©2014 Vivek Shraya (P)2019 Bespeak Audio Editions Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction World Literature Fiction Heartfelt

What the critics say

"A cathartic tale simply told." (The Globe and Mail, The Globe 100 of 2014)

"The Hindu gods, with their constantly shifting personas and manifestations, add a clever and thoughtful layer to the novel and highlight the intricacies and power of a love that eclipses gender, time, and conventions." (Publishers Weekly)

"An intoxicating story that thrums and aches with teenage energy." (Edmonton Journal Top Five Books of 2014)
All stars
Most Relevant
a heart wrenchingly beautiful telling of a personal story entwined with the storytelling of tales older than time. this took my breath away, had me crying, laughing and deeply resonating with all of the struggles with sexuality gender and self

absolutely wonderful

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Got the audiobook of this one to help with coursework, as I have this novel on the list for 21st Canadian Lit. and heard the audiobook version gave the story a different dimension... Agreed! HEARING this read, by the author no less, brought the poetic elements to the surface and really caused me to question the content in new ways (which were totally useful for that paper we had to write).

The story itself is an intermixing of two 'entirely different' stories, one set in 'the past' (ostensibly an Indian creation story involving Parvati, Shiva and Ganesh (sp?)) and one set in 'modern' Canada. Each details issues of identity and discovery of 'the self' and the performance of identity within societies/cultures. The 'modern' shows us adaptation to societal norms as a Muslim person who is Queer, while the origin story tackles the concepts of non-traditional families, non-compliant bodies (body positivity & criticism) and more!

Parting Shots: Great novel, interesting read, tackles complex concepts in poetic & interesting way, 100% recommended for a journey through tough personal issues on identity in an interesting and thought-provokingly artistic way. Not the BEST BOOK EVER, but definitely worth the credit whether you have a class req' or not.

Came in clutch for class!

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I didn't want this book to end. So amazing that the reading by the author was presented with it's full intent. I felt so close to the narrative and wondered how they got into my head. in gratitude

I didn't want this book to end...

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