Entertainment /
On the Shelf: May’s Must-Read Books
This month's lit picks include a woman on the run, a man's journey to radicalization and a fascinating, visceral portrait of motherhood.
Before We Visit the Goddess (Simon & Schuster)
By Chita Banerjee Divakaruni
Photo Credit: Simon & Schuster
Divakaruni (The Mistress of Spices) delves into the inspiring, poignant and often challenging connection between mothers and daughters in this rich, generation-spanning saga. She starts with Sabitri, a poor baker’s daughter who gets a chance at a real future thanks to an unlikely benefactor, only to see her hopes for a better life dashed by one fateful misstep. It’s a choice that will go on to haunt her daughter, Bela, who eventually flees to America with her dissident husband, only to find the land of opportunity is different than either of them had imagined, ultimately tearing their relationship apart. That leads us to Bela’s daughter, Tara, who, having been shaped by the triumphs and mistakes of the two women who came before her, spends much of her life grappling with questions "freedom, heartbreak and loyalty.”
Sweet Lamb of Heaven (W.W. Norton)
By Lydia Millet
By Lydia Millet
Photo Credit: W.W. Norton
Hailed as a propulsive yet profound work of psychological terror, Millet’s 10th novel centres on young mother Anna, who’s on the run from her sociopathic politician husband. Stalked across the U.S., from Alaska to Maine, she holes up with her six-year-old daughter in a seaside motel, bracing herself against the inevitable arrival of the obsessed spouse who’s chasing her — a man who grows increasingly monstrous at every turn. And that's not all, as the longer she stays at this seedy little lodge, the more it seems the other guests aren’t what they appear to be.
LaRose (HarperCollins)
By Louise Erdrich
Photo Credit: HarperCollins
A unique exploration of insurmountable grief, LaRose begins with a gunshot exploding from the rifle of Landreaux Iron, as he hunt on the edge of his North Dakota property in 1999. But the bullet that was meant for a deer instead tears through Dusty, the five-year-old son of Peter Ravich, his close friend and neighbour. Devastated, Landreaux goes takes a trip to the local sweat lodge to figure out some way to repair the deep bond the two families have always shared. His solution: give the Raviches his own five-year-old son, LaRose, who also happened to be Dusty’s best friend. So begins the poignant, confusing and unconventional journey of the title character, as he’s taken from his own family to become the replacement son for another.
Quickly bonding with his precocious new sister and becoming his unstable new mother’s sole reason for not giving in to her suicidal thoughts, LaRose's new lot in life gradually allows both families to heal — until a man arrives to threaten everything they’ve so painstakingly rebuilt.
Safdar’s challenging debut novel centres on Akram, an ex-British soldier living a quiet life in the West Midlands. When we meet him, he’s leaving his house for the last time, headed to a Remembrance Day celebration to set off a bomb and achieve martyrdom. On the way, however, he meets Grace, a woman with whom he seemingly has little in common but who is, in her own way, just as damaged and scarred as he is. As the two begin to talk, Akram gradually reveals his harrowing journey to becoming a radical — touching on bonds forged in the country’s tight-knit Pakistani community, horrors experienced while fighting overseas for Britain and a loveless arranged marriage. But could a moment of connection with a stranger be enough to pull a broken man back from the brink?
Eleven Hours (Tin House Books)
By Pamela Erens
Photo Credit: Tin House Books/goodreads.com
Offering readers a “visceral portrait of childbirth,” Erens’ latest centres on two pregnant women whose lives collide during the titular time period. Franckline is a Haitian nurse whose baby bump is just about to start showing; Lore is the patient who barges into her maternity ward, already in labour, with a very specific birthplan: no IV, no epidural, no fetal monitor, no family, no friends, no baby daddy. Naturally, things are going to get painful, but not just in the physical sense, as both women are forced to band together and work through the immense emotional baggage that comes with bringing a new life into the world while their own lives are still such a mess.
Main Image Photo Credit: telegraph.co.uk
Matthew Currie
Author
A long-standing entertainment journalist, Currie is a graduate of the Professional Writing program at Toronto’s York University. He has spent the past number of years working as a freelancer for ANOKHI and for diverse publications such as Sharp, TV Week, CAA’s Westworld and BC Business. Currie ...
COMMENTS
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
-
THE DARK SIDE OF THE IMMIGRANT DREAM: How Sriram Emani’s Award-Winning JAM BOY Questions America As The Land Of Opportunity
-
TIFF2026 EXCLUSIVE: How Theja Rio & Nancy Beso Brought ANGH, An Indigenous Nagaland Story To Toronto As A Major TIFF Premiere
-
Your Ultimate Guide To South Asian Films, Filmmakers & Talent At TIFF 2026
-
CANADA, IT’S TIME TO STREAM DESI: JioHotstar Officially Launches In Canada With Bigg Boss, Blockbusters & More
-
NOT YOUR TYPICAL BILLO: How Simar Is Giving Punjabi Music A Powerful New Female Voice
-
THE ULTIMATE SUMMER BINGE GUIDE: From Comfort Classics To Brand New Must-Watch Releases
-
PRIDE MONTH SPECIAL: Why Queer South Asian Theatre Deserves The Spotlight
-
Mom-And-Me Movie Guide: The Ultimate Mother's Day Bollywood Watchlist
-
Are You A True-Crime Junkie? Then We Have 10 Docs That Will Keep You Up At Night!
-
The Biggest South Asian Moments At The 2026 Oscars
-
International Women’s Month: Celebrating The Women Behind The Camera Who Are Shaping Hindi Cinema
-
Editor’s Picks: Indian Whodunits To Binge This Weekend
-
Exclusive Chat: Grammy-Nominated Siddhant Bhatia On ‘Sounds of Kumbha’
-
Exclusive Chat With Somy Ali: Her Journey From Bollywood Actor To Global Humanitarian
-
A Winter Staycation Guide To The Year’s Must-Watch South Asian Films & Shows
-
Exclusive Chat: Ali Kazimi On ‘Narmada: A Valley Rises’ & Its Enduring Relevance
-
Rhythms Beyond Borders: South Asian Artists Shine In The 2026 Grammy Nominations
-
SatRang Theatre Brings India’s Acclaimed Play ‘Siachen’ To Canada Nov 15-16
-
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Desi Spin On ‘Last Christmas’ In Gurinder Chadha’s 'Christmas Karma'
-
Canadian South Asians Win Big At The Oscar®-Qualifying Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
-
Reviving Judi Singh: Baljit Sangra’s Tribute To A Forgotten Jazz Icon
-
From Laksa To Tandoori Nachos: Inside CBC’s ‘Locals Welcome’ Premiere With Suresh Doss
-
Exclusive: Director Seemab Gul On ‘Ghost School’ - A Pakistani Tale Of Childhood & Corruption
-
Exclusive Chat With Director Onir On “We Are Faheem & Karun”: A Queer Kashmir Love Story
-
Inside 'American Warrior': Exclusive Chat With Vishy Ayyar & Omi Vaidya
-
AI In South Asian Films: Innovation Or Artistic Intrusion?
-
Exclusive Interview: SkyMed's Praneet Akilla Is the Brown Romeo Canada Didn’t Know It Needed
-
South Asian Horror Makes A Comeback: Films & Shows To Watch!
-
How Canadian Studio 'Cult Following Pictures' Is Changing Queer, Genre, & South Asian Storytelling
-
Pride In Frame: 10 Queer South Asian Stories To Watch This June
-
13 South Asian Music Maestros Who Revolutionized The Music Scene Forever
-
Exclusive Interview With Priyanka Bose & Raam Reddy On Magical Realism In 'The Fable'
-
From AI Ethics To Queer Love: IFFLA 2025 Honours Groundbreaking Winners
-
South Asian Cinema Takes Over L.A. – Check Out The Must-See Films At IFFLA 2025!
-
Stress Awareness Month: This Is What I Watch When I Am Tired Of Adulting (And It Works Every Time)
-
Sneaking Samosas In The Theatre To Watch 'A Nice Indian Boy' With Zarna Garg & Sunita Mani
-
Reimagining 'Mahabharata': An Exclusive Interview With The Visionaries Behind Toronto’s Theatrical Spectacle - Miriam Fernandes & Ravi Jain
-
Experience The Epic Mahabharata Like Never Before – Now On Stage in Toronto!
-
Exploring The Renaissance Of Female Characters In Bollywood, Hollywood & Beyond!
-
South Asian Stars Light Up Hollywood At Glamorous Pre-Oscar Celebration!
-
The South Asian Takeover: 2025’s Most Anticipated Hollywood Film & TV Releases
-
Bollywood 2025: The Ultimate Movie Lineup You Can’t Afford to Miss!
-
Mindy Kaling Becomes The Second South Asian Woman To Receive A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
-
8 Must-Watch Patriotic Films To Celebrate India's Republic Day
-
Up Close & Personal with Sandhya Suri on Her Oscar-Bound Film 'Santosh'
-
Bollywood 2024 Recap: The Good, the Bad, and the 'Who Asked for This?'
-
Must-Watch or Pass? Your Definitive Guide to the Upcoming Bollywood Films This Winter
-
How PBS Series 'Renegades' Celebrates American History's Most Badass Disabled Changemakers
-
14 Bollywood Remakes Vs. Their Hollywood Originals - Who Did It Better?
-
Catch Pakistan's 1st Ever Hand-Drawn Animated Film 'The Glassworker' & Other South Asian Films At Reel Asian Festival
-
World Mental Health Day: How Bollywood Has Used Its Power Of Storytelling To Address Mental Health Stigmas
-
Highlights Of Archie Panjabi, Neeru Bajwa & Iman Vellani At iSAFF2024
-
3x Emmy-Nominated Television Host & Producer Rasha Goel Launches New Podcast "Beyond the Glam" - Premiering Today!
-
Does Bollywood Accurately Portray Financial Struggles of India's Working Class?
-
Canada’s International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) Triumphantly Unveils Its Thrilling 2024 Lineup!
-
TIFF 2024: Our Chat With Writer-Director-Star Srinivas Krishna On The 4K Restoration Of His Hidden Canadian Classic ‘Masala’
-
TIFF 2024: First-Time Filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi Dishes On ‘Boong,’ Her Funny & Profound Modern-Day Folk Tale Told From A Child's Point Of View
-
Nepotism Or Repetitive Content - What's Causing Bollywood's Slump Versus Punjabi & South Indian Cinema's Surge
-
Must-Watch Patriotic Films From India & Pakistan For Your Independence Day Celebrations
-
Villainous Vixens: How Bollywood's Leading Ladies Are Redefining Cinema's Most Memorable Antagonists