She of the Mountains

August 11, 2014
Multimedia artist Shraya’s playful debut novel mixes the story of a young, gay Indian-Canadian man in Edmonton with Hindu mythology. As a boy, the nameless protagonist was teased by his classmates and was a social liability to his few male friends. The phrase “you’re gay” is continuously hurled at him before he knows what it means—when he trips, when he sings Vanessa Williams songs at a school assembly, or when he loses a race. He comes out after high school and finds that the gay community has a whole set of rules and norms to which he must conform, such as going to the Only Local Gay Bar, wearing tight T-shirts, and not talking about women. As foolish as he finds many of these things, he is grateful to have finally found a place where “it was possible to be liked,” and he tries hard to fit in. So when he falls for an unnamed woman at work, his self-identity is thrown into confusion once again. The two fall in love quickly and deeply, and he sees her as the first person “he had ever liked outside of his needs.” But the world still taunts him with “you’re gay,” and he must struggle to define himself both inside and outside his new relationship. This modern-day love story is interwoven with a retelling of the myths of the great goddess Pavarti; her husband, the god Shiva; and their son, the elephant god Ganesha. The Hindu gods, with their constantly shifting personas and manifestations, add a clever and thoughtful layer to the novel and highlight the intricacies and power of a love that eclipses gender, time, and conventions. Strikingly illustrated by Raymond Biesinger, this is a lyrical ode to love in all its many forms.

October 15, 2014
A young man explores his sexuality while the Hindu gods play out their long drama throughout his life. Getting it on isn't easy for the most grounded of young people, let alone a gender-conflicted queer boy growing up in the wilds of Canada at a time when "You're gay!" was hurled as the most hurtful of insults. Composed by multihyphenate pop star Shraya (God Loves Hair, 2011), this fable is punctuated by Biesinger's lurid illustrations of Hindu deities like Pavarti, Vishnu and Ganesha, who also figure prominently in the narrative. The young man who drives the story is struggling with his body, his mind, his sexuality and his self-esteem. Unfortunately, Shraya is often imprecise. One of the narrator's friends is dubbed "The Only Other Gay." Eventually, the young man meets "She," a girl with whom he almost accidentally starts a relationship. Studded with early 1990s pop-culture references, the novel sets the narrator's confusion in a time before the rigid bonds of gender identification finally started to yield (somewhat). In the background, the myths of the Hindu gods play out as a kind of chorus, as the humanized deities love and struggle and desire even as the narrator acts out his own confused journey. It's interesting that he finds the underground world of gay culture nearly as confusing, rigid and arcane as the straight world. Upon telling friends about his relationship with "She," they promptly recoil. This prompts a realization: "It occurred to him that the gays and the straights had more in common than he had considered before," Shraya writes. "Just like the straights, the gays were intent on preserving and presenting a uniform, singular version of themselves; in this case, their gayness." Sure, it's a messy, experimental work, but props to Shraya for putting himself out there in such a daring way and speaking truth to power to readers all along the sexual spectrum. An experimental multimedia hymn about delving into one's self, seeking love without labels.

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