cover image YOGA HOTEL: Stories

YOGA HOTEL: Stories

Maura Moynihan, . . Regan Books, $13.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-06-055932-8

East meets West in Moynihan's wry, knowing debut collection, so evocative of modern-day India that readers can smell the temple incense. The six stories feature bungling Westerners, whose insensitivity and ignorance of Indian customs stir up trouble wherever they go, and status-obsessed Indians, who at once mock and emulate their foreign visitors. "In the Heart of Braj" recounts Lila's retreat to visit Shyam Sunder, a rich American who abandoned his life of ease to take orders with a Hindu mystic. Though impressed by the peace and solitude of Shyam's religious existence, an unpleasant surprise awaits the naïve foreigner when she steps outside of his protective care. In "A Good Job in Delhi," Hari works in the home of a wealthy British rake whose unexpected benevolence saves the servant from a bleak existence and an undesirable arranged marriage. Most engaging are the stories that offer insight into the country's social mores, such as "Paying Guest" and "The Visa," which present a humorous look at the jockeying for position that occurs in India's upper castes. Moynihan's stories are full of sharp wit ("Lucy collected gurus like furniture"), but they rarely deviate from a fixed character blueprint: Western visitors are boorish, and their Indian hosts seek to exploit them. So many tiresome foreigners make an appearance that the stories become a warning for potential travelers. (Aug.)

Forecast:Moynihan moved to India in the 1970s, when her father, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, was the country's U.S. ambassador; she still lives part-time in New Delhi. Her rich knowledge of India should make her an appealing interview subject.