INDIA GRAY by Sujata Massey
This collection consists of two novellas and two short stories. Both novellas, Outnumbered at Oxford and The Ayah’s Tale are peopled by well formed characters and have detailed and nuanced plots with introduction, plot development and conclusion. Outnumbered at Oxford introduces characters found in the full length novel, THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL. The two short stories are quite brief and include only one incident with little characterization. India Gray is the much more satisfying story for both character and plot. Bitter Tea simply leaves one wanting more.
Outnumbered at Oxford gives the reader of MALABAR HILL the back story of what transpired during Perveen’s banishment to England and introduces Alice, Perveen’s good friend, who has a role in MALABAR HILL. Both women find themselves bending the strict rules at St. Hilda’s College to solve the disappearance of a mathematical paper and a young man.
The Ayah’s Tale is a treatise on social class, including the vast social differences between Indians (in their own country) and English colonists during a time of growing desire for Indian independence. It leaves the reader wanting another tale to fill in the gap between the story and the epilogue.
The writing and research involved for all four tales is detailed and gives depth and interest to each story. A good introduction to an excellent writer.
5 of 5 stars ( )

I picked this up on Kindle Deals because it contains a mystery novella which serves as a prequel to The Widows of Malabar Hill which I read last year and enjoyed. That was a fun read. Another novella included in the collection was The Ayah’s Tale, a touching story about the relationship between an English boy and his Indian ayah (nanny). The author used a clever invention to tell the story using both voices. I would rate that novella on its own a 4 star read. The other short stories were less intriguing to me, one about India just after WWII and the other set in Pakistan in a village taken over by the Taliban. The stories themselves were interesting, but I am not fond of short stories as I prefer to get to know character and place better in a longer plot line. I will continue to read the mystery series as new ones are published. Her writing is warm and readable for a break from heavy topics. ( )

This book contained three short stories and one novella. Three had main characters from India and one story was set in Pakistan with Pakistani characters. The time is early 1900s and all included a bit of the culture of the main characters. Each story involved some conflict that needed to be overcome. I enjoyed "The Ayah's Tale" the most. It was about a nanny taking care of the children of a prominent English family living in India and the difficulties the nanny encountered. ( )