In this debut collection of stories set in the American Midwest, England, and India, people try to realize their dreams through professions that range from housemaid to architect. Straddling the fault lines of class, caste, gender, nationality, globalization, and more, they go against sociocultural norms despite challenges and indignities until singular moments of quiet devastation turn their worlds upside down.
Jenny Bhatt’s debut book is a revelation ... in every way, these narratives are very far from conventional. They are brilliant without showiness, heartbreaking without sentimentality and their insight into human nature is incisive, shrewd and compassionate ... Though many of Bhatt’s stories portray difficult lives and the consequences of bad decisions, 'Separation Notice' is a bright dash of flash-fiction humor ... With this powerful, complex work, Bhatt should be launched into a wider readership that is fully deserved, and the literary world should rejoice in discovering a bright new star.
Debut collections rarely prove even in quality and efficacy, which makes Jenny Bhatt's 15 compelling stories in Each of Us Killers even more memorable ... Challenging assumptions, confronting power, manipulating barriers whenever possible--even at grave personal cost--Bhatt's cast surprises, inspires, frightens, beguiles, but never disappoints.
A few of [Bhatt's] stories—mostly flash fiction or those involving an unconvincing second-person point of view—are less successful, but overall, this collection of 15 stories introduces a writer of great promise ... Bhatt’s prose, sprinkled with similes and metaphors, can be evocative, and she can sum up a presence with a nifty sentence ... powerful.
