Shobha Rao
Shobha Rao | |
|---|---|
| Born | India |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | novel, short fiction |
| Notable works | Girls Burn Brighter; An Unrestored Woman |
| Notable awards | 2014 Katherine Ann Porter Prize for Fiction |
| Website | |
| shobharaowrites | |
Shobha Rao is an American novelist, having immigrated from India. She won the 2014 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, is a recipient of the Elizabeth George Foundation fellowship, and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2015.
Writing and reception
In 2016 Rao released An Unrestored Women, a collection of short stories connected to the division of British India into India and Pakistan.[1]
Rao's 2018 debut novel, Girls Burn Brighter, has been praised for its "sustained and elegant prose",[2] though USA Today said that the "empowering message gets lost in the overheated language and imagery"; the review concluded that once "Rao learns to dial down the melodrama, she’ll be a formidable writer".[3] Another reviewer calls Rao "a natural storyteller".[4] Rao's other work, An Unrestored Woman, is a short story collection that was called "a breathless and fascinating read".[5]
In 2025 Rao released the novel Indian Country, which tells the story of a young married couple who move from Varanasi, India to Montana.[6]
A theme throughout Rao's works is oppression, especially of women.
Works
- An Unrestored Woman. Flatiron Books 2016. ISBN 9781250073822, OCLC 945954924[1]
- Girls Burn Brighter. New York, N.Y.: Flatiron Books, 2018. ISBN 9781250074256, OCLC 1005782720[7][3][4][2][8]
- Indian Country. Crown, 2025. ISBN 9780593798959[6]
References
- ^ a b AN UNRESTORED WOMAN by Shobha Rao | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b Patrick, Bethanne. "Women tend the flames of their ambition in Shobha Rao's 'Girls Burn Brighter'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "'Girls' burns with intensity as two teen friends in India face abuse". USA Today. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Miller, E. Ce. "This New Book Is About Sexual Violence & Human Trafficking – And The Power of Female Friendship". Bustle. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ "a book review by Siobhan Fallon: An Unrestored Woman". nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ a b "Indian Country". Penguin Random House. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ Beckerman, Hannah (May 13, 2018). "Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao review – teenage trial by misogyny". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ "Shobha Rao | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
External links