Nepal, Jan. 12 -- In 'March, Me and Sakura' by Geetanjali Shree, a 70-year-old Indian mother travels to Japan to be with her son. At first wary of the unfamiliar country and afraid of venturing out, she ends up an adventurous soul, freeing the child within in the new land, far from judgment and societal restrictions. It is enthralling to travel with her and shed our inhibitions alongside.

This amalgamation of cultures and identities, of a country's tone clashing with-and yet matching-another, of physical and psychological journeys, of the delicate link that binds all humanity together and the rough blades that hew them apart-all 32 stories compiled in The Best Asian Short Stories (2017) try to hold this element within them. Some elegantl...