This is a short story collection set in Kashmir. It focuses on the everyday of the people who lived there. The writing style is very beautiful with a poetic nature to them. Each scene is a vignette of those lives and are full of the wide spectrum of human emotion



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC of this novel.

Zahid Rafiq’s The World with Its Mouth Open, introduces readers to the little-known, disputed territory of Kashmir, a place they are unlikely to forget after reading these eleven collected short stories.

Rafiq masterfully creates a scene, whether a young journalist admiring a small painted box he cannot afford in Mr. Hussain’s store, a schoolboy failing a test, a pair of boys infatuated with a newly arrived girl in the neighborhood, known to them only as “Beauty,” a grieving man carrying a wilting bouquet of roses as he searches a cemetery for the grave of a woman he loved years ago, or a construction worker unearthing a severed hand while digging a foundation for a new home.

Full of varied emotions, ranging from awe and humor to grief and terror, each story engraves images on the reader’s mind. However, exactly what point the author wants to convey may remain unclear, making this an interesting and discussion-worthy book club selection for those who prefer serious fiction rather than light-hearted fluff.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tin House for an advance reader egalley of Rafiq’s eye-opening introduction to Kashmiri life.

I love reading short story collections, but this one was a bit of a letdown. What saved this collection for me was the writing style. The author has a beautiful way with words, but the content/variety of the stories left me wanting more. I would read from this author again but overall; I was disappointed in some of the stories. It's a mixed bag for me.

Short stories set in Kashmir about everyday people - shopkeepers, young boys, families. Filled with humor, violence, and grief.

A beautifully written collection of short stories, but somehow I didn't really relate to most of them. Not my cup of tea but your mileage may vary!

This book was a collection of short stories. They were written poetically and were written beautifully. I do think some stories were good and others bad and some even amazing. It was a great collection and I enjoyed reading it, I think some should have flowed together more

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!