Magic Has No Borders edited by Sona Charaipotra and Samira Ahmed: Review

Magic Has No Borders

Magic Has No Borders is the kind of book you can just pick up and become immediately invested in. With fourteen short stories, from tales of Gods and Goddesses to stories of teenage love, this book has included a diverse range of characters and stories for everyone. Anybody who picks up this book could find something relatable within. Each author involved has brought something unique to the book by using their own experiences of growing up in different parts of South Asia. 

“It was easier to blame a woman for what went wrong with the choices of men than it was for men to take responsibility for the harm they caused.” Chudail, by Nikita Gill. 

Many of the stories brought a tear to my eye or a smile to my face, but either way I know that each of the stories will have a special place in my heart. Of all the stories, the two that have stuck with me the most since I read them were Kiss Me Goodbye by Tracy Baptiste, and Daughter of the Sun by Sayantani DasGupta. 

The book also includes many gorgeous pieces of art. The piece of art by Chaaya Prabhat shown in Infinite Drift, and the art by Neha Kapil for Daughter of the Sun are two of my favourites.

The short stories discuss topics such as sexual assault, abortion, death, mental health and identity. I felt as though I learned something different from each story. And I felt attached to each character despite each story being relatively short.

Isobel Thorne, 16