"...stories provide valuable reminders about the mistreatment and neglect of the people who keep our society running, and for that alone it's worth your time to read."
--The Fiddlehead

"With clear-eyed compassion, generosity and literary brilliance, Mariam Pirbhai has deftly illuminated characters whose lives in literature are usually relegated to the shadows of the mainstream. In doing so she has given much needed, long-overdue breath to a cast of characters who create the landscape even as they have been, until now, invisible in it. As Diane Arbus is to photography, so is Mariam Pirbhai to literature--bringing forth the margins, but nobly, with understanding and an unusual generosity in her handling of contemporary society's machinations."
--Shani Mootoo, author of Cereus Blooms at Night and Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab?

"What a stunning debut this collection, Outside People and Other Stories, is for Mariam Pirbhai. These stories transport us into the lives mainly of newcomers to the Canadian landscape. The broad range of characters includes first-and second-generation Canadians, new citizens, temporary workers and even a worker in a resort in Mexico that caters to numerous Canadian clients. The power of the stories lies in the author's success at capturing the worlds of the marginalized and racialized so vividly, with such understanding and compassion, that we cannot ignore or dismiss their humanity. Indeed, we are enriched by it. This book deserves a wide readershipWhat a stunning debut this collection, Outside People and Other Stories, is for Mariam Pirbhai. These stories transport us into the lives mainly of newcomers to the Canadian landscape. The broad range of characters includes first-and second-generation Canadians, new citizens, temporary workers and even a worker in a resort in Mexico that caters to numerous Canadian clients. The power of the stories lies in the author's success at capturing the worlds of the marginalized and racialized so vividly, with such understanding and compassion, that we cannot ignore or dismiss their humanity. Indeed, we are enriched by it. This book deserves a wide readership."
-- Mary Lou Dickinson, author of Would I Lie to You? and The White Ribbon Man

"In short, Outside People and Other Stories is an exceptional group of short narratives that are appealing, insightful and a treat to read."
--The Miramichi Reader