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Interview with Abhinav Kumar author of All That We Carry

A reflective story collection exploring identity, memory, and human emotions, capturing life’s conflicts, choices, and the weight of what we carry.
on Apr 25, 2026

Frontlist: All That We Carry: Stories Across Place and Time explores identity, memory, and the pressures of society. What inspired you to write this collection of stories?

Abhinav: The collection is inspired by my lived experience, observations and ruminations deriving from daily living, and subjects I am knowledgeable about or fascinated by. I think short stories are a great medium for a writer to explore the subtleties of life and the human experience both what you know, and what you wish to know better, and I hope this collection has done that through its varied themes, characters and settings.

Frontlist: Many of the characters in the book seem to struggle with how they are seen by others. Why did you choose to explore the theme of the “gaze” and its impact on identity?

Abhinav: That is the essence of being human, isn’t it? Considering ourselves, our place in society; constantly evaluating how others view us, sometimes wishing we were seen more; other times wishing we could be invisible and left to our own devices. The gaze, both internal and external, is omnipresent.

Frontlist: The stories capture deeply personal moments of conflict and choice. How do you develop characters who feel so real and emotionally layered?

Abhinav: I am glad to hear that the characters came across as real and layered. I think that any good short story brings a character to life in a moment of tension – which makes them desire, pursue, interact, react, decide, despair. Once you come up with (or stumble upon) the central theme of a short story, the writing and re-writing process often takes care of the rest. I was particularly happy with how the inner worlds of a few characters came out – Meghna from Gaze, Roshan from Bravado, and of course, troubled young Sidhu from The Perfect Cut.

Frontlist: Place and memory appear to play a significant role in several stories. How important is the idea of “place” in shaping your narratives?

Abhinav: It is critical! Whether I’ve managed to build a compelling world for my characters to inhabit is a chief preoccupation of mine as a writer, and something I always brood over when I finish a piece of fiction. I can immediately think of a few stories from the book where the setting was quite crucial in establishing mood and tone: the dank prison cell in Veil; the cantonment city in Gora (avoiding spoilers!); and the claustrophobic back-lanes of a town in Skin.

Frontlist: You balance a career as a corporate lawyer alongside writing fiction and poetry. How does your professional life influence your storytelling?

Abhinav: It creeps in! My study of law and work as a lawyer contributed directly to one of the stories in the book (hint: the title rhymes with pale :P). Travelling to work on the Delhi metro has also given birth to many a story idea.

But my training as a lawyer also sometimes works against me – a reader whose opinion I value recently told me that some of my sentences are too convoluted: I have agreement drafting and contract review to thank (blame) for that!

Frontlist: Your first collection, Razor-Sharp, was published in 2017. How has your writing journey evolved since then?

Abhinav: Thank you for taking note of Razor-Sharp! It remains a collection very dear to my heart. I think my writing and its…you could say, range, has evolved and expanded since I wrote my earlier stories. I feel that the prose is sharper and more evocative than before – something I’m happy a few readers pointed out too. With a large set of short stories under my belt, I’m now looking forward to writing longer works in the coming years.

Frontlist: The title All That We Carry is very evocative. What does the title represent for you and the themes of the book?

Abhinav: Thank you, the team at Srishti worked hard with me in coming up with a suitable title. The stories in the collection touch upon a wide variety of themes, relationships, missed chances, coming-of-age, and contemporary prejudices, to name a few. Our endeavour was to come up with a title that encapsulates this range and attracts readers. Together with the superb cover they have designed, I believe it both gives a sense of the familiar and creates intrigue. I hope readers agree!

Frontlist: What do you hope readers will take away after finishing this collection?

Abhinav: As the writer of these stories, I want them to give pause; to elicit nods, raised eyebrows, chuckles, quivering lips. But above all, and always, my chief desire as an author is simply that my readers enjoy the stories – that they turn the last page with a satisfied smile.