Mouth: Stories . by Puloma Ghosh

"A unique set of stories that show the promise of a bold new voice." — Kirkus Reviews 

"Ghosh has offered us a masterclass in surrealist short fiction, bound to haunt its readers long after they’ve put down the book." — Olivia Gatwood, author of Whoever You Are, Honey

"Mouth is a work that will leave you forever changed." — Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, author of Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare 

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BESTIARY MEETS THE DANGERS OF SMOKING IN BED IN THIS COLLECTION OF 11 EERIE, UNCANNY, & SURREAL SHORT STORIES

In this debut collection, Puloma Ghosh spins tales of creatures & gore to explore grief, sexuality, & bodily autonomy. Embracing the bizarre & absurd, Mouth stretches reality to reach for truth. “Desiccation" follows a teen figure skater with necrophiliac fantasies who is convinced the other Indian girl at the rink is a vampire. When a woman returns to Kolkata in “The Fig Tree,” she can’t tell if she is haunted by her dead mother or a shakchunni — or both. “Nip” bottles up the consuming & addictive nature of infatuation, while “Natalya” is a hair-raising autopsy of an ex-lover. In “Persimmons,” a girl comes to terms with her own community sacrifice. 

Full of fangs & talons, Mouth lays bare the otherwise awkward & unmentionable with a singular sharpness. Through surreal & captivating prose, Puloma Ghosh delves into otherworldly spaces to reimagine ordinary struggles of isolation, longing, & the aching desires of our flesh.

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Puloma Ghosh is a fiction writer based in Chicago whose work has appeared in One Story, CRAFT Literary, & Cutleaf. This is her first book.