PRAISE FOR LITTLE GOD

“Part trickster, part soulmate, part self-reflection, there is nothing small about Avni Vyas’s little god, a tart and clever figure who begets fragments, windy seasons, and littler gods, words he wants to make and perform. ”
–ANNE BARNGROVER, author of Brazen Creature

“Welcome to the world, Little God. You’re the book we all need. Avni Vyas roars and soars in this important debut, reminiscent of Marquez’s idea that ‘All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.’ It’s that secret life that tugs at us, and Vyas gets to the core—to the heartbeat of this wanting, in this litany of ‘almosts’ filled with claws, filled with teeth—filled with heartbeat after heartbeat. This book is a wonder. It sings a storm. Most importantly, it makes us consider the root of all our longing—no one does this like Vyas.”
–DOROTHY CHAN, author of BABE

“In this dazzling debut of a collection, Avni Vyas asks the important not often considered question: What if our gods aren’t malevolent or benevolent, but like…just kind of annoying? Churlish and childish figures who poke us when we’re trying to concentrate on the act of living, who blow in our ears right at the most important part of the movie, or fart under the covers right before we get in. Vyas explores the shadow grief of what-ifs and lives almost lived, and through her keen sense of humor and stunning pathos, she reveals to us how we can be our own gods. Sure, hers is a little mischievous and totally exhausting, but also loving, and perhaps most importantly, forgiving. Let her Little God sit on your shoulder, cackle, and slap his knee next time you stumble and falter through life’s most important moments. Vyas shows us here – he’s teaching you something.”
–NIK DE DOMINIC, author of Your Daily Horoscope

“Ornery and opinionated, the character of Little God adopts the childish and critical voice in readers’ heads, “suss[es] out [our] mopes,” and, in the cage of Avni Vyas’s mouth, where words rattle and echo with sumptuous abandon, taunts and teases us into submission. The way only a mean love can, Little God makes us see ourselves—bruised, smelly, and deserving of forgiveness. This is a thrilling landscape of loss, love, and language that begs to be read aloud after a cocktail to anyone who will listen. And, believe me, they will.”
–S. WHITNEY HOLMES, author of
Room Where I Get What I Want

“Little God is our deejay through the miasma of time. Listen, you believers and everyone else, too. Little God will save your poetic soul.”
–BARBARA HAMBY,author of Holoholo

“Each of us has a little god, someone who knows you better than you know yourself. He’s your pal, though you’re never quite sure what he’s up to. But isn’t that what you want? Our little gods delight and edify us, as do these smart, needle-sharp poems.”
–DAVID KIRBY, author of More Than This