Incantations and Other Stories

This generally engaging collection explores an India in which superstitions, secrets, warring values and family obligations enmesh the inhabitants, as their dreams and aspirations fade. The characters closely examine the tenuous threads that bind them to one another--as lovers, family, friends or co-workers--and they express their insights in vivid, often wistful, prose. The strongest stories delve into the particular difficulties of women's lives: a college student enters a loveless marriage after a failed abortion in ``The Prophecy''; a worried mother writes her absent daughter, and in the process discerns the daughter's secret, in ``Her Mother''; in the title story, a woman's marital tragedy forever alters her younger sister's life. ``When Anklets Tinkle'' is a gem: a delightfully airy story of ghosts, young lovers and farcical goings-on that provides a respite from the more somber pieces. In ``Sharmaji'' and ``Sharmaji and the Diwali Sweets,'' which deal with the workplace instead of the home and family, Appachana loses her sure touch. Nevertheless, this is an usually strong first collection. (May)