Book Review
By Deepanjali Singh
Bijoya Sawian’s marvellous collection of short stories, ‘Hill Songs of Love and Longing’, is on the Valley of Words Long List for Best Fiction 2025.
A well -deserved honour.
I had the privilege of being a moderator at its launch in the VoW Literature and Arts Litfest in November 2024. The stories are page turners with the most unexpected endings. Without being pedantic, the author lets the reader learn about a little-known part of our country. So, the women of the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, walk, stride, glide across your mindscape and relate their fascinating stories. Some of the stories are disturbing and, in fact, scary. Yet you cannot miss this literary experience because it is unique.
The stories are about love and longing, and Bijoya Sawian does full justice to the theme with her signature style of combining lyrical prose and lucid narration.
“I hope your heart finds home
Where your laughter echoes through
Every corridor
Where your smile is framed in every wall
With swings and mirrors in every corner
I hope you find home in someone
Who reminds you
That home is not a place.”
The book published by White Falcon Publishers is available at Amazon and Book World, Dehradun.
