Deceit Brought us to Assam and Other Stories from the Barak Valley

Fresh from prison, a woman returns home to grapple with her husband’s betrayal; accused of witchcraft, an aging midwife becomes the scapegoat for a tragedy; and a destitute widow’s life takes a surreal turn when she is thrust into local politics. Barak Valley—lush, picturesque, and seemingly tranquil to outsiders—emerges in these stories as both tormentor and refuge, a witness to its people’s quiet hunger for connection, belonging, and dignity. Whether it is a mother confronting her daughter’s pregnancy out of wedlock, an octogenarian rediscovering her forgotten love for the sitar, or a child forming an unlikely friendship with an elderly man, the characters in this anthology reveal the singularity of seemingly ordinary lives.