One Giant Leap
Feature author Shashi Bhat, in ‘The Library Giant’, takes us deep into one man’s struggle to reconcile himself with … himself.
In our feature interview with Shashi, she tells about the inspiration for the story: (It) came from a couple of places. I had read a scene somewhere (I can’t remember where now!) about a man stuck in an elevator, and someone I knew mentioned he was once nicknamed ‘the Library Giant’. I wanted to write a story about a quiet, polite, unassertive person who, because of the body he was born in, can’t help but take up space … I was interested in the question of whether he’s acting against his nature or embracing his true nature, and how this duality exists and clashes within him.
Enjoy this excerpt from Issue 29, Winter 2021.
The Library Giant
by Shashi Bhat
He worked at the printing counter of the university library, ordering supplies, replacing printer toner, and helping students clear the jammed copier. He was precise, reading the instructions that flashed in the small digital window, then lifting and unlatching the indicated compartment of the machine, seeking out the trapped, crimped paper with his oversized hands. You had to be silent in the library, especially if you were a giant. He tried to stay on the carpet and wore rubber-soled shoes to minimize the sounds of his steps. When people were in the elevator with him, he stifled his breathing and hunched and curled his upper body, holding his hands together tightly in front of him — like a child wishing for something — to appear smaller, to leave the others more space.
To find out what happens next, pick up your copy of Issue 29, Winter 2021!
Shashi Bhat’s fiction has appeared in publications across North America. She was the winner of the 2018 Journey Prize. Her novel, The Most Precious Substance on Earth, is forthcoming from McClelland & Stewart in 2021. Visit her at shashibhat.com.
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