Shani Mootoo

Wow. This book is tense, insightful, and just a good, if not comfortable, read. I felt as if Mootoo reached inside the hidden parts of the brain to undercover how people think, how people remember (re-member and re-create memory). She doesn't shy away from portraying how trauma can become sexualized (and sexual trauma subverted) in such a way that one's sexual orientation can feel all twisted and confused in one's experiences, dreams, and memory. The novel is real. As a queer white woman show more married to an Indian woman I found truth not only in the general portrayal of humankind but also in the specifics of how the cultures of immigrants, Indian-Asians, and queerness mingle in the most uncomfortable ways. I will admit that the ending was no surprise to me. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be. But the whole novel was compelling in the way that a roadside accident is compelling. The writing is good. The story is too. This is my first exposure to Mootoo, but I will be looking for her other books. show less

An amazing book by an Indian woman from Trinidad and Canada providing insights into the lives of transgendered individuals and those who love them.

Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab introduced me to the complex life of a person who was transgendered. For the first time I was able to understand at a visceral level how a person makes and lives with decisions about gender that I do not encounter in my own life. The book’s subject, and how well that subject is handled, make it an important show more and unique publication, especially for those of us living in limiting traditional communities.

This book however is much more than its treatment of sexual minorities. Appropriately, characters are much more than their sexuality. A variety of themes are interwoven: loss and re-connection, migration and cultural difference, inter-generational relations, secrecy and death. . The writing is graceful and compelling. The landscapes of Trinidad and Toronto, where the book is set, are lushly portrayed both in terms of their physicality and of the differences of the people who live in each. One of the main characters is part of the Indian community that has long been a part of Trinidad. Hindu life and ritual is described.

The plot is unusual and an excellent vehicle for the story. Jonathan grew up in Toronto, cared for primarily by his mother's partner. When the couple split, Jonathan's caregiver disappears, only to be rediscovered after Jonathan is a young man. Jonathan is intensely curious about the fact the person has changed gender, but holds back questions out of respect. Gradually Jonathan and the reader come to learn the full story.

Shani Mootoo was raised in the Indian Trinidad community and moved to Canada as a young adult. Initially she devoted herself to creating films and videos, some of them widely praised. She has claimed that her interest in visual storytelling seemed safer to her than words after she was punished for telling about the sexual abuse she received as a young child. In writing her novels she displays both her visual and verbal gifts. In addition to her work in film, she has published several books of short stories, poems, and fiction. Her writing often focuses on issues of migration and sexual diversity.
I strongly recommend this book to those interested in learning to appreciate those who are transgendered---and to anyone who is curious about people, or simply cares about excellence in writing. Akashic Books is to be congratulated for making available yet another excellent and important book. show less

Recommended by multiple people, but especially my friend Laura, I picked up a copy of this and finally got around to reading it. The vibes are so perfectly magical realism: the intergenerational aspects, the story unfolding in jumps backward and forward through time, the lush atmosphere -- like you can feel the humidity through the page. Felt akin both to Rushdie and South American magical realism traditions.

But put queer people EVERYWHERE in the story. Just EVERYWHERE.

This story is show more heartbreaking and filled with abuse and injustice, and I have been on a streak of DNFing books like that, but what sets this apart is its resilience? We start in a present timeline that a long way from perfect, but has a promise of caretaking and community, and for me that made the dips into the past bearable. That and the abuse itself isn't what is centered, it's the girls and how they survive it.

I loved this, the whole way through. show less

This is an unusual but absolutely brilliant book. A few years ago when CBC published a list of 100 Novels that Make us Proud to Be Canadian I had read about 68 of them. I have added a few more and this one is the latest. Otherwise I probably never would have discovered this book. It came out in 1996 which was just when I was back in school and also working so I had very little time for reading.

Tyler is a nurse on the fictional island of Lantanacamara which is probably somewhere in the show more Caribbean. (The author is from Trinidad originally so she was probably using her background to create Lantanacamara.) He is hired at the Paradise Alms House but instead of using his nursing skills he is mainly doing janitorial work. Then Mala Ramachandin arrives at the home under police escort. She is all but comatose but Tyler starts taking care of her and slowly she comes back to life. Two gentlemen bring a slip of a Cereus plant for her and Tyler looks after it and gets the gardener to plant it. Some time later the two men return to visit Mala and Tyler starts to find out more about Mala's life. One of the men is Mala's age. Ambrose (Boyie) was at school with Mala. He made monthly deliveries of food to Mala until he was no longer able to do so. Then his son, Otoh, takes up the task. Ambrose and Otoh visit Mala at the Alms House often and soon Otoh is visiting on his own but he is there to see Tyler.

Sexual roles are fluid in this book; Otoh was actually born a female but he transformed his body to appear male and has passed as male for many years. Tyler is male but likes to wear women's clothing and makeup. Otoh and Tyler are fascinated by each other. However, Tyler is telling Mala's story so he resists adding details about his own life. He hopes that by making Mala's story public he can help find her sister, Asha, who disappeared many years ago. Mala asks continually where she is. This reader hopes that Asha and Mala were finally reunited but that is beyond the purview of this book.

As I said, this was a brilliant book. Highly recommended. show less