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Title: Mad Country

Subtitle: Stories

Author: Samrat Upadhyay

Narrator: Vikas Adam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-18-17

Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies

Publisher's Summary:

Samrat Upadhyay's thrilling new collection brings stories of thieves, lovers, political prisoners, fractured families, and of Nepali-Americans attempting to navigate the strange customs of the United States. It reaffirms Upadhyay's brilliant contributions to the international literature of exile.

Members Reviews:

Mad Country Will Expand Your Horizons

Samrat Upadhyay has the gift of being able to view the world with both a zoom and wide angle lens at the same time. He sees the small details within the larger cultural and socioeconomic milieu. Most of the stories contained in this collection take place in Nepal, a country I know little about, and one of the stories takes place in the United States. Reading these amazing short stories placed me inside a world very different from my own. What I can say with surety, however, is that the commonality of human nature and the struggles that people face, often go beyond culture and place.

The stories are varied and I loved all but one. Working in the field of mental health, I especially appreciated 'Beggar Boy' about a young man whose life experiences have been so difficult for him that he is playing out a fantasy wherein he becomes someone else. 'What Will Happen to the Sharma Family' made me laugh as well as appreciate the issues that many families face despite variances in family dynamics. 'Freak Street' caught the struggles of a young woman hoping to find herself. A hippie in Kathmandu, she ends up living on Freak Street and becomes so ensconced in the family she stays with and the cultural milieu surrounding her, so much so that she changes her name and forgets about her previous life in Ohio. 'Mad Country', the title story, shows how one's stance in life is as precarious as the political environment of a particular time and place. No one should get too comfortable with their life status because all can tumble down at the drop of a hat. 'Fast Forward', the opening story, is about a young woman who runs an investigative journal and soon realizes that her fame and the truth are not suitable adversaries for the current political regime. The last story, 'America the Great Equalizer' looks closely at race, loss, and the disenfranchised.

I don't know why, but lately it has been difficult for me to get into short stories. This all changed when I picked up 'Mad Country'. Each story is separate but there are a few connected characters if the reader pays close enough attention. The stories are mesmerizing and written by a pro, an author whose view of the world is complex and wise.

An intriguing collage

It is difficult to write a comprehensive review of a series of stories. Indeed, for me, it is always a temptation to try to do an âoverall evaluationâ, but this approach is often unsuccessful, because they are really separate entities, and some I relate to better than others. Another thing that makes this effort challenging is that I really know next to nothing about Nepalese culture and history.

The longest story in the collection â really a novelette â is âDreaming of Ghanaâ.