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.”

A really nice collection of stories, including a wide range of moods, characters and settings. I think my favorite is the one about the pre-conception agreement lawyer and her clients, but I enjoyed all the stories in this arc.

First of all, praise for the title of this book - I loved the vagueness of it but it successfully ties together all of the short stories within, which delve into the subject of ‘whatever will be will be’ and that we have no control over events to an extent. For me personally, whilst reading, I was overcome with the feeling of sonder, where one thing could be happening in one part of the world, whereas a completely different scenario could be happening for someone else. Everyone and their experiences are so unique and that's what gave this book an element of magic.

Short stories aren’t usually a format I delve into so was intrigued to see what kind of tales I would be getting. There are 14 in total, each having a concise writing style but in different perspectives.

My favourites of the bunch are ‘Tulip Persimmon’s Head-Wetting’, ‘Pre-Conception Contracts’, ‘Three Singers’ and ‘Tipping Point’.

Jindal clearly has a knack for short story writing and I would be very intrigued to read some of her other works.