Book excerpt: Warm and witty, poignant and chilling by turns, here is a collection of twelve short stories as diverse as life itself. The settings are Indian no doubt, yet also universal in the human types and emotions so deftly and engagingly captured. What these stories have in common is a quiet, restrained, direct and simple style; deceptively simple and quiet however, for the evocation of place and atmosphere is vivid and the context packed with meaning: at times emotional, at times violent, at times muted, or even humorous, but never bland. The racy narrative carries the reader past many a sharp turn and anxious moment with a swift and graceful ease which makes reading this work a delight. Gabriel s use of traditional forms and techniques and his use of Indian settings make his work seem like a pleasing blend of Somerset Maugham and R.K. Narayan, but a unique and distinctive blend all the same.