Shraya, Vivek. She of the Mountains. Illustrations by Raymond Biesinger. Arsenal Pulp Press. 2014. $18.95. 149p. PB. 9781551525600.
Simultaneously retelling the Hindu story of creation and the story of a boy and the girl he loves, She of the Mountains weaves mythology and reality together until lines blur and the reader sees both as one story. The main character, referred to only as “he,” is oblivious to the obvious fact that he is gay. As he becomes aware of his own orientation, the reader also watches the relationship between Parvati, the Hindu mother of the universe; Shiva, the lord of destruction; and Parvati’s son, Ganesh.
Shraya effectively tells a large story is a short book. This brief tale has merit in both its retelling of Hindu mythology and its story of the love that “he” and “she” share. Intentionally ambiguous, this story avoids much of the typical character development and plot devices other stories share.
The literary writing style of this short novel will discourage readers accustomed to more standard plot-driven writing; nonetheless Shraya’s work would fit well in a public or academic library included with a collection of Hindu tales.
Jenni Frencham, Librarian
Cesar Chavez Middle School, Hayward (CA)
Dear neighbor Jenni Frencham,
While I appreciate your reviewing SHE OF THE MOUNTAINS, you have erased the fact that both the main character and the author are bisexual, not “obviously gay.” The book has in fact won awards for bisexual literature, and the author has spoken in public about bi erasure with respect to his books. I beg you to read more about the book and its author and to amend your review.
Bisexual youth are desperately looking for mention of themselves in literature. These representations are necessary to combat the very high levels of suicide, drug abuse, and other poor outcomes among the erased and stigmatized bisexual population. Please help fight that by changing your review and the lens through which you see bisexual characters.
Sincerely,
Jan Steckel
Author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning book
THE HORIZONTAL POET
Oakland, California