Interesting collection of short stories, spanning from England to India. Some better than others, all leaving me wanting to read more. Love the title!

As someone who gravitates toward short story collections, The Planet Spins On Its Axis, Regardless instantly appealed to me—starting with the title. There’s something quietly magnetic about it, and I was curious if the stories would carry the same weight. Thankfully, they did.

This collection consists of 14 stories, and one of the first things I noticed was how accessible the writing is. English isn’t my first language, but I had no trouble following along. The stories are clear without being simplistic, and still carry emotional and thematic weight.

The first story, The Unusual Properties of Cork, reminded me a little of the film The Menu. They’re different genres, but both take place in a restaurant and carry this subtle tension. The main character goes to eat at Faviken—a famous, now-closed restaurant in Sweden known for its immersive and almost ritualistic dining experience—with her date, who’s weirdly obsessed with cork. I looked up Faviken after reading the story, and it made the setting feel even more vivid. Kavita A. Jindal captures this moment so well that I felt like I was right there with her, trying to enjoy the meal, quietly navigating the awkwardness.

As I continued into the second and third stories—which also use first-person POV—I started to sense a pattern. A lot of the stories here seem to favor that close, personal voice. It also became more obvious that many of the stories, while not always set in India, carry traces of Indian culture—sometimes through character names, family dynamics, or small cultural cues. You can feel the roots without them ever being overexplained.

Then I arrived at Tulip Persimmon’s Head Wetting, and finally met a third-person POV. It was written just as smoothly. That’s when I started realizing Jindal is a writer who knows how to shift styles without losing control.

One of my favorite stories is Where He Lives, which features a philosophy student. As a philosophy student myself, I couldn’t help but laugh at the line:
“What use is philosophy, Sabina?” asked her mother-in-law. “Philosophy is for people with leisure, with nothing to do in their lives.”
It’s a small moment, but it stuck with me. The characters, the tension, the way the dialogue unfolds—it all felt grounded and quietly sharp.

After that came Sweet Peas, written in second-person. I don’t usually enjoy this POV—it’s hard to get right—but somehow it works here. The only downside is that the story is quite short, maybe the shortest in the book, and I found myself wanting more of it.

What I enjoy most about this book overall is the way each story opens. The first few lines are always strong—just enough to pull you in without trying too hard. The dialogue feels natural, the pacing calm but deliberate. And the titles? They’re all so well-chosen. As someone who writes short stories too, I know how hard it is to pull off these little things, and Jindal does them well.

The book ends with a story that shares the same title as the collection—The Planet Spins On Its Axis, Regardless. I expected it to be the longest or most memorable piece, but it’s actually more of a short note, only a page long. Still, I appreciated how it closed the book quietly, leaving me with one final line to think about: “It’s out of your control. Realise this, and everything is easy. Also much more difficult.”

As the title of the book implies, it really doesn't matter what you do or think or what happens to you because everything is out of your control and the world will keep turning regardless. In that sense, my review really doesn't matter but I'm still going to document my experience.

This collection really wasn't for me. The premises outlined in the books description sounded interesting but the execution mostly fell flat. I struggled to really care about or relate to most of the stories or characters (perhaps because I'm not really the target audience?) but it felt more like a lot of the characters weren't fleshed out- and the book being a short story collection isn't an excuse for this. Some of the stories I had to actively force myself to read and had to keep rereading paragraphs because the writing felt so disjointed and I couldn't follow the narrative. I also couldn't really get a feel for who the author is- if you told me this collection was made up of stories from different writers I would have believed you.

For me this wasn't an overall enjoyable read, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy some of the stories or at least elements of them. The stories that focussed on womanhood in a more universal, broader sense (Galvanise Gloss, Shamans in Luburbia and Pre-Conception Contracts) were the best reads for me. 'Galvanise Gloss' was a standout, watching a woman have a breakdown about the fact her life is going nowhere by incessantly naming lipstick shades was such a unique concept that was executed so well- I just wish the collection had more stories of the same ilk. However, if you like collections that focus on identity and the way culture and heritage can conflict with your identity then I think you may find this an interesting and insightful read.

Thank you to Serving House Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC. This review can be viewed on my Goodreads page at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7570844702