Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Appetite: New Writing from Goa reviewed as wryly humorous, chilling
This news is about a new book called 'Appetite: New Writing from Goa.'
It is a collection of 34 stories, poems and essays written by many different people.
The book is about Goa, a beautiful place in India that is known for beaches, tasty food and green rainy seasons.
But the writers do not only show Goa as a fun holiday spot.
They write about big feelings like wanting things, missing home, and wondering if you truly belong somewhere.
Some stories are funny, some are sad, and some are a little scary.
The book also talks about people from big cities who move to Goa and how that changes the place.
It asks questions like who gets to decide what real Goan culture is.
The book is called 'Appetite' because it is about hunger - not just hunger for food, but also hunger for love, success and a better life.
The editors of the book are Shivranjana Rathore and Tino De Sa, and it is published by Penguin India.
Appetite: New Writing from Goa is a Penguin India anthology of 34 pieces edited by Shivranjana Rathore and Tino De Sa.
It combines short stories, poems, essays, memoir pieces, and one graphic narrative exploring desire, nostalgia, horror, class and belonging.
Contributors include Gail Pinto, Rachana Patni, Sheela Jayawant, Ashlesha Athavale, Ashok Hegde and Tino De Sa, among others.
The collection critiques 'outsiders' buying property in Goa, real estate speculation, water shortages and questions of cultural authenticity.
The review describes the anthology as wryly humorous yet eerily chilling, and 'a celebration of hunger - literal, metaphorical, ancestral and imagined.'
- Who
- Editors Shivranjana Rathore and Tino De Sa, along with 34 contributing writers; published by Penguin India.
- What
- A review of the anthology 'Appetite: New Writing from Goa,' a 34-piece collection of stories, poems, essays, memoir pieces and one graphic narrative exploring desire, nostalgia, class and belonging.
- When
- Not stated in the article.
- Where
- Goa, India - the anthology focuses on Goan life and culture; published by Penguin India.
- Why
- The editors describe the collection as 'a celebration of hunger - literal, metaphorical, ancestral and imagined,' aimed at capturing the real, unromanticised life of Goa.
Goan Locals' Perspective
Outsiders' Perspective
Outsiders moving to Goa
Goan Locals' Perspective
Outsiders buy property, refuse to assimilate, drive up real estate and cause problems such as water shortages - as shown in stories like 'The Happy Hearts Beach Resort' and 'The Real Housewives of Assagao.'
Outsiders' Perspective
Outsiders leave big-city lives to seek something more meaningful in Goa and genuinely fall in love with it; susegad is not for 'frenetic city-walas' who come only to party.
Cultural authenticity
Goan Locals' Perspective
The marginalised are rarely represented in dominant local culture; the ruling class and top rung of the caste hierarchy decide what carries cultural value.
Outsiders' Perspective
The very notion of 'authenticity' is questioned, with writers like Rachana Patni experimenting with food and calling the authenticity debate into question.
- Book title
- Appetite: New Writing from Goa
- Editors
- Shivranjana Rathore and Tino De Sa
- Publisher
- Penguin India
- Number of pieces
- 34
- Formats included
- Short stories, poems, essays, memoir pieces, one graphic narrative
- Central theme
- A celebration of hunger - literal, metaphorical, ancestral and imagined
- Key themes
- Desire, nostalgia, class identity, horror, food, belonging
- Review tone
- Wryly humorous yet eerily chilling