Um, I don't know. I picked this up, because from the inside cover it sounded interesting, then I found out it cover a Book Challenge.

7 short stories, where one is left to imagine the author's foregone conclusion.

"Justice Shiva Ram Murthy" an arrogant man goes to lunch w/ his friend & accepts the cashier's suggestion for the #4 meal, to which he agrees... without reading the menu to know it includes meat. He raises a terrible scene... Rude Arrogant, Unapologetic.

"Lakshmi and the Librarian": Lakshmi befriends the local Librarian, when his mother becomes ill, so too does he. She breaks social norms to visit him & encourages him to visit his dying mother.

"The Validity of Love": Two young women face the quandary of love & marriage. One believes she is modern and due to her rigidity loses her American boyfriend. The other refuses her arranged marriage, but after time becomes enthralled w/ the young man & marries him.

"Bangles": A widow brought to live in Boston w/ her son is put in the position where she is forced to babysit her spoiled, disrespectful, brat of a grandson.... Asking her son to send her home, he refuses... but she has her solid wedding bangles....

"Karma": Two brothers living together, one a former professor in India, the other a successful doctor... The Doctor kicks the other out of the house after his anger cost him his job. Looking for a job, he comes across traumatized birds and takes them to the local vet. He then gets a job as the vets assistant, while dreaming of becoming a chef.

"Devadasi": A young woman goes back to India w/ her parents for family wedding. While she is there she takes up the ancient art of Hindu Sacred Temple dancing. Being used to her freedom in America, she learns the cost is too high for her in India.

"Lord Krishna": A young man, Krishna, attends an exclusive parochial school in Kansas. The school is rife w/ bullying, especially in the form of the history teacher, a religious zealot who taunts Krishna w/ a photo of Lord Krishna saying that he is an incarnation of Satan. When Krishna tells his father, the school's major benefactor, all comes to a head in a meeting w/ the Dean, the teacher, Krishna, & his parents.

These are stories of people who live & believe much differently than I do... So, except for the story "Bangles" I really couldn't relate, but I could empathize w/ many of the characters.

Ah, the characters, didn't seem real to me... They felt one-dimensional and I never warmed up to the majority of them. ( )

Review taken from The Literary Snob
There have been a great number of Indian novels and collections in the last several years. Karma and Other Stories, a collection by Rishi Reddi, is one of the more overlooked titles in the (Indian) ocean of these books. While these seven stories are enjoyable, for the most part, they unfortunately miss the mark of rising above the competition.
Karma and Other Stories starts strong with "Judge Shiva Ram Murthy," a story about an elderly Indian man adjusting to life in America. When a mishap happens with his food at a Mexican restaurant, the title character goes to great lengths to prove how he has been wronged. This story has a refreshing voice and makes one think about cultural differences in both a comical and enlightening way.
Unfortunately, this original voice does not stay refreshing for long. Story after story repeats the basic formula: a displaced character, one from Hyderabad and who speaks Telugu, struggles to reconcile their Indian heritage with their American residence. Often this formula involves young second generation Indian daughters, each of whom are dancers and struggle with being sexually-charged.
The only exception to this formula is the title story, "Karma". This was by far my favorite. It was unique, magical, and held my complete attention until the end. "Karma" steps beyond the character's Indian heritage and asks the reader to examine their life's work and the passions they too often ignore.
If Reddi wants to tell her own story, I think she'd be better off writing a novel. Expanding any of these stories to a complete work would have been more fulfilling than reading nearly identical stories over and again. If she prefer to stick with the short story, she'll definitely need to reach outside of her own story. It's an interesting tale, but I'd rather read it one time and move on. ( )