Book excerpt: A centipede in a shoe, revelations in a shoebox, nosebleeds, exploding women, and a dead mouse named Miraculous populate this collection of thirty-five short stories from one of India's most original young writers. "Not merely lyrical and strange, but also deadpan funny. I can't shake the feeling that I know this woman, personally like we hung out at a party or something. But I don't, and we didn't. She's just that good."