It Was All a Gift - An Interview with Shani Mootoo (Dedication to Pinky)

In this episode, Linda speaks about Shani Mootoo's Starry Starry Night (Book*hug Press), an auto-fictional work that confirms Mootoo’s exceptional talent, in its sophisticated narration and vivid delineation of scenes from a childhood in Trinidad. Mootoo traces the early life of Anju, roughly based on Mootoo’s own childhood, the heart-rending contours of that life – but, as she ruminated in their interview together, she approached those painful experiences with a sense of dispassionate observation and compassion, for herself and for others, documenting upon what is unfurling at every moment. And then she concludes, “It was all a gift.” Linda takes a moment in her introduction to reflect on the loss of her beloved cat, Pinky, and confirms - it was indeed all a gift, including this very special interview with Shani Mootoo.