This remains one of the best books I've ever read, and one of my all time favourite story story collections. I have and will continue to recommend this to anyone who loves to read!

What a beautiful short story collection from a debut author! Such a heart breaking, yet powerful book about immigration and displacement.

All of the stories in here are memorable, but to me, the title story “Home of the Floating Lily” is a true standout amongst the others (but trust me, they’re all great, and so well written).

What I know will stick with me for the longest time is the focus on loneliness - each character in the stories were lonely in their own way, whether it be for their home, their family, belonging...it was all just so raw, and I won’t be able to not think of these characters.

A definite must-read!

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Traveling back and forth between Bangladesh and Canada, Home of the Floating Lily tells the stories of 8 different women each trying to find her way. Many of them are looking for a sense of self and community. They want to feel like they matter and that they belong. These stories were sad in parts and touching in others.

I recommend this collection to fans of immigrant stories and #ownvoices literature.

At times like this, when I read surprising books like these, I feel like I have enjoyed my reading year just the way I intended to.
This was a surprising gem that I did not expect as I started reading. A few stories in, the better the experience got. I must proclaim my bias beforehand though, I am almost one of those featured in the narrative. Although I had extended family who left India before me, I was essentially alone and free to tailor my new identity as I went abroad, and even after my marriage, it was the two of us living a little differently than any neighbours we might have had (and still do).
It makes it easier to imagine the writing coming to life and feel the trials and tribulations of those people mentioned here. With the ever-shrinking world, I am sure even a non-south-Asian ex-pat would be able to see through the layers of many of the narratives and identify with some part of a character mentioned here. The writing was vivid enough to even attract those who do not actually relate to the characters as well.
Not all the stories are equally great, but they were all good, with a few that stand out. All of them have strong women who strive to do their best and survive. More than survive, they nurture. The nurturing was for children, parents, in-laws or even the odd neighbour. It was a satisfying read, even with all the sad undertones. I highly recommend this to
I liked the language used, the imagery that was conjured up, letting me enter the world in such a short time. The short stories here did not feel like bite-sized ones but a whole in-depth exploration of different people. Finally, it is a well-balanced collection because it showed different versions of life both in Bangladesh and Canada, letting the larger public know that there is more nuance in the lives of those who choose to live abroad and/or return than people of other countries could imagine.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a read about another culture.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Home of the Floating Lily is a story collection built on tales of immigration and emigration between Canada and Bengladesh. These are multi-generational stories of men and women seeking new lives and dreams or perhaps finding that those dreams aren’t possible. The stories unite in a setting, an area of Toronto favored by many Bengali immigrants, that is common to or mentioned in each story.

The central theme of each story, of each life presented, is the need for and search for home. This might mean slightly different things to different characters but each wants to belong. Many want a place where they believe their children will have a greater chance for success. Some find that the traditional ways call to them more strongly than they had thought. So many different views, of course.

I enjoyed this collection very much and enjoyed reading stories from this different, to me, cultural viewpoint. Rating 4.5 rounded up to 5*.

A copy of this book was provided by Dundern Books through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


The eight stories in this wonderful collection will sneak up on you - so perfectly curated are they that you will find yourself carried away to a time and a place as evocative and immersive as if you were lost in the pages of a full-length novel.

Very reminiscent to me of the haunting works of Rohinton Mistry and the cross-cultural angst of Neil Bissoondath ( two of my very favorites), in this book author Silmy Abdullah weaves multi-textured characters who are struggling with grief, loss, loneliness, and alienation; caught between the restrictions and expectations of two very different cultures - in this case; Toronto, Canada (my hometown) and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Although the stories do not directly intersect, each perfect little gem opens the door on a world inhabited by characters who could very well be neighbors, each of them carrying the stamp of their deeply patriarchal Bengali upbringing, and its impact on their search for connectedness in a culture where arranged marriages, parental authority, and family obligations supersede any claim of the personal.

- In a “Good Family” we meet Shumi - who after being courted, married and spirited off to Toronto with her new husband Asif, who is himself a virtual stranger, finds herself completely adrift and achingly lonely in her alien surroundings.

“They (skinny jeans) seemed to be made for a girl who was made of sticks. She felt like she was suffocating when she put them on. Asif told her she looked beautiful”.

- In “All of the Adjustments”, (which is perhaps my very favorite in this collection), a young Dhaka widow, imprisoned by duty to care for her grieving in-laws, is challenged by her relationship with her new Canadian sister-in-law, a visitor (in the form of a free-spirited outsider) who unintentionally stirs up intense and complex emotions.

- In “Reflection” a new Bengali bride, on her wedding day, steels herself to her new life with a man she does not know and who is not her love.

“Bengali brides can cry without any restraint on our wedding day, easily releasing all kinds of suppressed agony under the guise of that one pain we have absolute permission to fee, the pain of leaving our parents.”

I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

A great big thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

This was such a beautiful book full of short stories. I felt a connection to each of the characters and wished that each story could have been a full book on its own. They were so well written and the characters so deep even though each story was just a glimpse into their lives. Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book of short stories by Silmy Abdullah was an absolute delight to read; this is one of my favorite collections of the year (thank you Netgalley for the ARC!). I’d give 5 stars to every single story, something that short fiction lovers will understand is somewhat rare. I love that this author focused on a relatively specific setting and community (Bangladeshi families each with a connection to the same neighborhood in Toronto) and that the stories held some overlapping themes, yet each one stood on its own. Abdullah explores the unexpected new forms of family relationship forged in the experiences of immigration, and the resulting pain and beauty of these. Bittersweet and ultimately hopeful, these stories are beautiful on so many levels. I hope they can be enjoyed widely by a large readership and that we’ll see more from this author soon!

I really enjoyed reading the short stories in this book. It was nice to read more about a culture that is so close to mine while also vastly different.

Thank you to the author, Dundurn Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully written collection of short stories, set in both Bangladesh and Toronto and focussing on the emotional experience of migration and settlement in a foreign environment. The author develops the characters and their stories in just a few pages, and the longing and loneliness of the characters bleeds through the page. Having myself experienced the impact of migration on family, relationships and the elemental issues of identity and belonging, this book deeply spoke to me. I highly recommend it!

This is a delightful collection of eight short stories set both in Bengal and Toronto. While the recurring themes are of love and home, it's also a celebration of life across borders. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Put this by your side and read one a day to savor the language.

I loved being able to read and learn from a different perspective. I have never lived anywhere but my home country. I would highly recommend this collection of stories !

Loving these short stories on immigrant life and marriage, their dreams and future. Am pretty sure these stories can be relatable and can make you understand the true emotions of people around you, They can strike a chord in you because, if you are an immigrant yourself, you would have been in a situation like this before. Powerful and beautiful, these stories are sure to be devoured if you are a Jumpa Lahiri fan.

A collection of short stories that tell us the quiet, mostly hidden reality of immigration and being a first-generation citizen. The otherness, the silent sadness, feeling foreign in the only home you've ever know and trying to reconcile your culture with those that live around you and their notions of it.

This is a collection of beautifully-written stories about not just Bangladeshi families, women, and life, but also about selfishness, the desire for independence, the results of poor communication, cultural expectations, and religion and its pressures. I found myself truly hating some characters and feeling sympathy for others; I wanted to tell characters to go talk things out and I wanted others to take action. This would be ab excellent book for city-wide reads and book clubs of all kinds.

Home of the floating Lily is a collection of eight stories that shuttles between Toronto and Dhaka. The stories vary in their flavor profile while maintaining integrity and dignity of the roles they play. The stories are all utterly grounded, humane and relatable. The characters the stories are made of are our cousins, relatives, aunties and uncles. We know of those people.

The collection is an accessible and easy read, to be able to get through in an afternoon. There are some stand out moments in the collection but none of them wow-ed. Its a good enjoyable read.


A good family: A newly married couple navigate their budding relationship where communication is misfired and secrets are incubated. Shumi, the wife, a young woman from Dhaka, finds herself alienated away from safety of her home in distant Toronto when her husband Asif rapidly makes plans for their future alone.

A Secret Affair: A bittersweet story of love and loss, of losing and loving. The story as such doesn't have depth but offers a sweet reprise for a man in grief.

Across the Ocean: A story that resonates in South Asian communities where girls from village immigrate to cities in search of work and endure verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse in the hands of families they work for. Amina is one such girl who encounters kind niece of her employer.

All the adjustments: All the adjustments for the bridge marrying into a different culture and all the spaces left behind after...pretty good story.

Familiar Journey: not everything is as it seems. The question of faith and the moments it binds us. Annie finds it the hard way.

The middle path: the bond between parents and siblings and just between siblings. I get that. A sweet story about two siblings whose take drastically different paths, have different beliefs, ideals and philosophies yet the bond they share remains strong through out.

Reflection: An arranged marriage and the revelations and reflections on their wedding night.

Home of the Floating Lily: the titular story of the collection is perhaps the longest one. This short story explores the relationship between a mother and her daughter. The loving relationship between the two women turns tumultuous. The author brings around the stigma that is still prevalent in sub-continent, and gives the story a hopeful ending.

This beautiful collection revolves around a specific population, Bangladeshi immigrants in a Toronto neighborhood, and explores themes that are both culturally-influenced and universal. Abdullah brings each character and setting to life without getting excessive, and this is a testament to her skill as a writer. Highly readable and enjoyable, I would recommend this book without hesitation.

What a great collection of short stories! Beautiful writing about family, friendship, love, commitment and a lot more from the lives of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada. Eight separate stories, each with a different flavour, yet the people in them seem like old friends or relatives living in the same neighbourhood.

A collection of short stories centered on the life of Bangladeshi immigrants, mainly to a particular suburb of Toronto.