Pardeep Toor, "Hands"

Join us in-store to celebrate the release of Pardeep Toor's debut, Hands, with conversation partner Barry Pearce!

RSVP HERE 

About the Book:

What happens if hard work doesn't pay off and dreams don't come true? Do bad times last forever? Hands, the remarkable debut from Pardeep Toor, follows Hans, a downtrodden and aimless immigrant pursuing the so-called American Dream by any means necessary. A racist incident forces Hans to quit school and drive a taxi. An unhinged fare and unjustified arrest makes Hans question whether he belongs in this foreign land. And a toxic relationship confirms his cultural isolation within his own community. Illuminating a degenerate immigrant experience littered with hope and failure, Hands interrogates the contradiction between the lofty ideals of assimilating in America and the brutal comedy of the journey.

About Pardeep Toor:

Pardeep grew up in Brampton, Ontario, and currently lives in Colorado. He's a writer and librarian and also teaches creative writing at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. His writing has appeared in the Best Debut Short Stories 2021: The PEN America Dau Prize, Southern Humanities Review, Catapult, Electric Literature, and Longreads. His short story collection, HANDS (Cornerstone Press) was published in April 2026.