The tales in Guilt Trip and Other Stories reveal an unbridled exuberance of appetite which mirrors women’s hungering for lost opportunities, the sting of indifference to one’s aspirations and denied selfhood. All that is atoned for by reaffirming friendships and chance encounters, which have a tendency to change trajectories. The lilting whiff of an aftershave mingling with the splutter of cumin, innocent counting songs giving way to jingling bangles—are a few glimpses from this collection, which champions the cause of enduring courage by bringing together the textures, the hues and the aromas of our daily lives. Whether it is a researcher standing up to her male colleagues to not cook for them or a newly-wed bride escaping her swindling in-laws, the characters try and close the gap between limiting social norms and the desire for freedom to create a space of their own in Kannan’s adroit hands.