A collection drawing from the many areas of Mary Anne Mohanraj's work, Silence and the Word includes everything from enticing erotica to Sri Lankan-American immigrant tales, from romantic poetry to provocative essays, like "Esthely Blue" (a magical-realist semi-autobiographical story of sex, work, and disappearing body parts), "At the Gates of the City" (a Mormon ghost story), and the award-winning story "A Gentle Man" (an affecting tale of an immigrant father's attempt to reconcile his own yearning for home with his children's individual needs and desires). Mohanraj boldly explores sexuality, ethnicity, and their interactions with the human heart.