Rahul Mehta, author and Syracuse University alumnus, will read from his premiere work, ‘Quarantine,’ at his alma mater Wednesday.

The reading, a collection of short stories, will begin this semester’s Raymond Carver Reading Series. A Q-and-A session with Mehta will take place from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. in Gifford Auditorium in Huntington Beard Crouse, followed by the reading at 5:30 p.m.

Each protagonist in Mehta’s short stories is an openly gay Indian-American, like Mehta, said Deanna O’Keefe, an undeclared sophomore in the Whitman School of Management who read the book for her class, ETS 107: ‘Living Writers.’

O’Keefe said she wants to know if Mehta was nervous to publish his book because of his personal ties to the subject matter. The fact that Mehta is an SU alumnus makes the event especially appealing, she said.

‘Putting an actual face to the author to the book you just read is pretty cool,’ O’Keefe said.

Carroll Beauvais, an English and textual studies professor who teaches ETS 107: ‘Living Writers,’ said she does not believe the book should solely be publicized for its use of homosexuality. She said the book is a collection of stories about life, in which the main characters just happen to be openly gay.

‘Straight people’s lives aren’t centered around being straight,’ she said. ‘That’s just a part of their lives.’

Josh Fisher, a sophomore television, radio and film major, said his favorite short story in ‘Quarantine’ was the first in the collection, also titled ‘Quarantine,’ because it was so relatable. The short was focused around the relationship of a young adult and his grandfather and ‘the clash between the generations.’

Fisher said ‘Quarantine’ showed the main differences between Indian and American culture, which is a continued theme throughout the book.

Shoy Rey, an undeclared sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said ‘Quarantine’ was well written and that each story was insightful and interesting. Because of its universal message, Rey said his favorite short story in the book was ‘Ten Thousand Years.’

‘It shows how everyone makes mistakes and how life is too short to live with regret,’ he said.

O’Keefe and Rey both said they hope Mehta comments on his style of writing — in particular about how the stories ended — at the Q-and-A session. O’Keefe said most of the endings did not have closure; they just stopped, leaving the reader wondering what happened next.

Rey agreed and said, ‘I found myself wanting more with each story.’

Beauvais said she thinks there will be a good turn out for Mehta’s reading. For people who have never attended a reading, Beauvais said it is always interesting to hear how the author thinks the piece should be read, sometimes emphasizing certain parts the reader might have missed.

Said Beauvais: ‘Being read to is one of life’s basic pleasures that people tend to forget about after leaving childhood.’

klross01@syr.edu

Published on September 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Kristin: klross01@syr.edu | @kriskross22