Reviews

A searing look at the complexities of body and gender, told in dual narratives; one of a man learning to love his body, and the other a retelling of Hindu mythology through the eyes of different gods. I loved this for its commentary on intra-community policing, how harmful it can be, and how useless it is when compared with how expansive and complicated gender and sexuality and attraction can be. The protagonist deals with a lot of biphobia, and people of all sexualities foisting labels upon him. There are some great passages about how some gay people want all of us to fit into this one box and that's just... not possible. The romance was so lovely and heartaching; I adored the sense of exploration and discovery and just how enamoured he was with her. I really liked the writing; very poetic and fluid. There were some instances of stylistic repetition that really didn't translate well to audiobook format, but otherwise, I really liked it.

Speaking of, I listened to the audiobook as read by the author, and it was lovely. This was really different from anything I've ever read in terms of style and format, and that newness was refreshing. Can't wait to read more of her work!

indigokorres's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My friend lent me She of The Mountains after I read I’m Afraid of Men also by Vivek.

I couldn’t put the book down as it was so human. I loved how both stories touched on the creation of life and in that how we connect to our own bodies and to other people. It was great to read more about Hindu mythology as well.

smalltownbookmom's review

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4.0

A beautifully fantastical book centered in realism that speaks truth to the struggles people have with gender identity and societal acceptance. Highly recommend this quick but powerful read by Canadian Vivek Shraya. Excellent on audio read by the author.

jonapelson's review against another edition

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4.0

Y'all I'm torn on this one. I enjoyed it ... and I think a lot of it went right over my head. I found the drawings interesting and a provoking addition and really enjoyed the main characters descent towards the end of the book. What I really think I missed out on were the parallel chapters on the retelling of the Hindu deities (which I looked up and was told that that was what it was). My ignorance is definitely showing, but! all in all I found this to be a short, engaging read and quite a lot of it stuck with me, surprisingly. I'd be curious to see how others would gauge it though.
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"But with the absence of a language, of a label, came an unfortunate implication: shame"
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"But queer spoke to all the other spaces and moments his body and heart didn't fit into...he could be everything all at once. Ironically, queer meant whole"

"He wondered what it would feel like to look at himself and see what she saw, to shine as she did, or at least feel a lightness in his body"

meghan111's review against another edition

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5.0

Entrancing short, illustrated novel about Hindu mythology, gender fluidity, attraction, and queerness.

I received a copy of this from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

katselvocki's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A story of queerness and identity and bi erasure and learning to love oneself interspersed with retellings of Hindu mythology. I love Vivek Shraya’s writing and storytelling so much.

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