Shani Mootoo

Shani Mootoo was born in Ireland, grew up in Trinidad, and lives in Canada. She writes fiction and poetry, and is a visual artist whose work has been exhibited locally and internationally. Mootoo’s novels include Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab, Valmiki’s Daughter, He Drown She in the Sea, and Cereus Blooms at Night. Shani Mootoo ‘s Polar Vortex (Akashic Books) is a novel about Priya and Alex, a lesbian couple who left the big city to relocate to a countryside community. It seemed like a good way to leave their past behind –and then there’s running away from awkward histories. Priya has a secret–a long-standing, on-again, off-again relationship with a man, Prakash. She has she never told Alex about him. When Priya invites Prakash to visit, Alex is not pleased, and soon all three have to face the consequences of their choices. The Globe an Mail called Polar Vortex “an unsettling novel about how secrets always come back to get us – especially the secrets we’ve managed to keep from ourselves.”