Chrysalis

"Every piece in Chrysalis is as subtle and punchy as the eponymous final story. Varghese’s women are like her words: brutal, elegant, and resonant." — Quill & Quire

"The stories in Chrysalis shine as thoughtful, surprising, horrifying, tender portrayals of urgent transformation. Varghese’s dedication to upending expected queer and immigrant narratives, and to spotlighting complexity in relationships is welcome and invigorating." — Xtra

"Whether real or fantastical, these stories are bound by women struggling with love and identity amidst their troublesome predicaments." — Wasifiri Magazine

"These are stories of the most common people, touched with a sense of weird, of the beyond, of magic." — Hamilton Review of Books

"Fantastical, surreal, complex, and often quite sensual … A powerful punch of stories." — The Miramichi Reader

"[Varghese’s] raw and poignant writing works beautifully to tell stories of belonging, family, and identity." — White Wall Review

"A brisk, beguiling collection." — That Shakespearean Rag

"Anuja Varghese’s stories are cheekily feminist and textured, her characters unapologetically monstrous and ordinary. I loved how many of the stories begin with deceptive quiescence and then twist into the surreal and subversive. Chrysalis was a joy to read!" — Farzana Doctor, Lambda Literary Award–winner and author of Seven

"In these delicate, slice-of-life stories, Anuja Varghese plumbs the depths of wonder in our ordinary and not-so-ordinary lives. Chrysalis is that rarest of books — a collection where the meaning of words shift and change even as you read them, rolling out a cornucopia of treasures. What a magical, wondrous book!" — Amanda Leduc, author of The Centaur’s Wife

"Chrysalis is a provocative, taut collection, depicting women of colour who have reached the very edge of their limits. Anuja Varghese writes with surreal, urgent, sensual prose, mixing folklore and myth with the modern world. Every story is a surprise." — Shashi Bhat, author of The Most Precious Substance on Earth

"A passionate, sophisticated collection of stories that highlights Anuja Varghese’s impressive range, Chrysalis seamlessly blends realism with the otherworldly to achieve a work that is rollicking and wry, gleeful and ominous. Each story is complex and intimate, the characters served by rich, evocative writing that goes to the heart of their humanity. Confidently cutting across genres, Chrysalis is sparkling and downright delightful." — Peer assessment committee, Governor General’s Literary Award

"Chrysalis is an electric array of queer, feminist, and mythical short stories. Varghese uses aspects of Hindu folklore and magical realism to transform her stories into powerful tales. Elements of queerness are sprinkled throughout, turning our perception of love stories on their head. The writing is focused and vivid with characters that are unapologetic and feisty; they love who they love and do not shy away from stepping into their powerful selves. These are not typical diasporic stories of food, identity, and belonging, but rather ones that weave together thematic complexities of the historical horrors of colonialism with queerness and joy." — Jury citation, Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers

"This genre-bending collection defies expectations and brims with danger, desire, and the pleasures of storytelling. Anuja Varghese’s surreal stories will take you places you'll never expect." — Saleema Nawaz, author of Songs for the End of the World

"Ruthless in its quest to leave readers both sweetly satisfied and ravenous for more, Chrysalis disintegrates genre barriers with some of the most haunting, delicious, and emotionally resonant language I have ever read. This is the short story in all its craft mastery. Anuja Varghese is about to become a household name." — Sydney Hegele, author of The Pump