Maya’s new husband

Book title – Maya’s new husband

Genre – Horror, thriller

Publisher – Amazon        Pages – 225    Language – English

Author – Neil D’silva

Price – ₹ 0/- for the Kindle unlimited edition and ₹ 99/- for the E book

Available on – Amazon.in

Purchase link – https://www.amazon.in/Mayas-New-Husband-Neil-DSilva-ebook/dp/B00RPZ01LQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=maya%27s+husband&qid=1620621566&sr=8-1

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‘Maya’s new husband’ is a horror-thriller wrapped in the shroud of the old English adage – never judge a book by its cover. But, in this case the story unravels as a horrific tale spun around the life of Maya because she did not judge the book by its cover.

Confused? Don’t be.

The reason I say so is because there are times when the best of us overlook our intuition and gut feel to let sinister people into our lives. Why do we do that? Is it because we have been conditioned to believe that opinions should not be formed unless we know someone better? Is that not what we Indians are taught from infancy? We are taught to look deeper than the facial value of something. If we go by this logic then in the book what Maya ended up doing was exactly what the society advocates. She was not wrong and yet her life took a wrong turn because of it.

Maya is a schoolteacher, a brilliant, intelligent, self-made woman trying to overcome a tragedy in her past which left her broken. She is a person, like so many others when faced with this situation, built a wall around her. But, her wall crumbles, slowly, bit-by bit when she opens her heart and lets in someone who the world shuns. It is in our nature to empathize with battered, wounded souls is it not? Well, thus far Maya was not at fault. She finds love again. She blossoms in it, blinded to the reality and ignoring the signs that others read. After this, the story unfolds dramatically. Maya’s marriage to the mysterious protagonist Bhaskar (the title of the book is clue enough) shocks her family and friends. But, that is nothing compared to the shocking ending of this story.

This book is not for the faint hearted. It is replete with gore from the very start. If rats petrify you, then I advise you to proceed with caution. The first 20 odd pages will make you cringe for that is the depth to which Neil has explored their nature. From his perspective it is vital in the book.

This is a book that explores cannibalism, psychosis, the aghori culture and also deity worship but the kind that turns you into an alter persona because your beliefs are tethered to it. The research done by the author shines through in the depth that is evident in the writing.

The book is written well although I confess that I and probably others like me who like to read thrillers, will be able to spot the storyline from the moment the chief characters are introduced. From that point on you would think that the story would be predictable. You are not wrong. But, the manner in which the story unfolds keeps you hooked backed by Neil’s brilliant writing. It is clear to see that the author has a firm grasp on his plotline till the end and the sub plots, the sub layers in the story, all are part of the main plotline. They are used as tools to make a reader visualize the settings and inject horror and even abhorrence into their psyche so that the book, in totality, comes across as racy horror-thriller.

So, would I recommend this book?

Well, even though the suspense unfolds early in the book, it is a story backed by some wonderful research and crisp writing. For that alone, I recommend it.