Sonal Singh On Sonal's Table
Never Forget the Crows by Supriya Bansal
I admit it—the title pulled me in. That, and the striking cover design by The Book Bakers. Never Forget the Crows promises intrigue, and it delivers a layered psychological thriller steeped in mystery, unease, and sharp social inquiry.
Set in the capital, the book feels unapologetically Delhi. Smog-heavy winters, irresistible roadside food, road rage, and claustrophobic housing colonies form the backdrop to a city where inequality is not just visible but suffocating. The rich continue to insulate themselves; the poor bear the brunt. This stark divide is where the story takes root.
At the centre is a chilling discovery—a headless corpse found in a garbage dump, quickly dubbed the kachrapeti murder. What follows is a spiral into deeper darkness as more headless bodies surface. There’s no logical pattern, no connecting thread, no tidy clues. Witnesses are absent, leads evaporate, and suspects are rarely who they appear to be. The investigation becomes as disorienting as it is disturbing.
What stood out for me was Supriya’s restraint. The gore is minimal, used only where necessary, allowing the psychological tension to do the heavy lifting. Instead of sensationalism, she turns her lens toward the many malaises that plague society—poverty, sexual abuse, drug addiction, the vulnerability of the differently abled, and the long shadows cast by psychological trauma. These themes are woven seamlessly into the narrative rather than delivered as lectures.
The characters feel real—deeply flawed, morally complex, and painfully human. Through them, the book explores the loss of innocence in a way that is both poignant and unsettling. It reminds us that monsters don’t always lurk in dark alleys. Sometimes, they exist in plain sight as people we know, encounter daily, or even share relationships with.
Dark, thoughtful, and distinctly urban, Never Forget the Crows is a psychological thriller that stays with you.
