Foreign Soil Themes

At its core, Foreign Soil is a book about place; as such, its stories examine how where a person is from influences their identity, the trajectory of their life, and their views of the world. For many characters, living in a place where they’re considered an outsider has a major impact on their identity. In “Shu Yi,” a young Black girl named Ava tries to hide the parts of herself that highlight her Blackness, like…

Many of Foreign Soil’s stories feature displaced characters coming to grips with past and present traumas. The opening story, “David,” tells the story of a Sudanese woman (Asha) who watched soldiers shoot down her young son during a period of civil conflict. “The Stilt Fishermen of Kathaluwa” tells the story of Asanka, a young Sri Lankan boy forced to join the Liberation Tigers, a paramilitary group that made him commit unspeakable…

Many of the characters in Foreign Soil’s stories experience prejudice or ridicule, whether due to their race, class, gender, age, or immigration status. But the collection shows that all characters, even those who have themselves experienced prejudice, can hold—and act on—prejudices against others. In “Shu Yi,” a young Black girl named Ava refuses to stick up for Shu Yi, a Chinese student new to their majority-white, suburban Australian elementary school. Prior to Shu…