Upadhyay's "The Good Shopkeeper" was chosen for the Best American Short Stories, 1999, and subsequently was published in the 2001 collection Arresting God in Kathmandu, which won the Whiting Award for best emerging writers. Some critics, however, have pointed out some flaws. For instance, Kavitha Rao, writing for Far Eastern Economic Review found that Upadhyay's collection "has very little to distinguish it from other writers from South Asia," except for the fact that Upadhyay's tales are set in Nepal. But despite this criticism, Rao singled out "The Good Shopkeeper" as Upadhyay's "most successful story."

Writing for the Village Voice, S. Shankar also singled out "The Good Shopkeeper" in this critic's review of Arresting God in Kathmandu. Shankar found this one to be the "best story" in the collection. Shankar states, "The insights into Pramod's world that Upadhyay offers through his story are subtle and satisfying," then goes on...