Kent Matsubara Matsubara itibaren Poite Centro, Guatemala itibaren Poite Centro, Guatemala

Remarkable book and I think that this is her first. Short stories all with the central theme of India - but variations on characters' age, gender, status, outlook, income, and life in general. I usually don't like short stories, but these are woven together nicely and so effortlessly, it makes it a pleasure to read.

This memoir is compelling and heartbreaking. Lucy Grealy had cancer of the jaw when a child and a large part of her jaw had to be removed, leaving her disfigured. She endured multiple surgeries in an attempt to reconstruct her face, but none of them was the answer. Her identity becomes her face, as no one appears to be able to see past her disfigurement. As she grew older, she was more accepted by her peers, but she still felt as if no could love her, even when she had affairs with men. Although an inspiring story, it is also tinged with melancholy, as we experience the many rejections that she has had to endure.