Shadow Town- Fresh, Different, Engrossing.

‘Shadow Town, Grave Encounters With The Other World’ , is a rare book, packed with folklore from Bengal. Supernatural powers like Aleya, Bensho, Kaal, MayaMohini and many more, all have been woven into one thrilling tale.

The plot, is about Dr.Deesha, who has been posted in a rural Santhali village, where the people are kind and accepting, but believe in folktales narrated to them over the generations. There’s Rakhu who guards a beautiful lake, Aleya who entices men, Bensho who calls out in the night, and Kaal who attacks in the form of a fever epidemic. Dr. Deesha has her twin Reesha to confide in, and Nikhil, a young man in the village whom she befriends. Together they unravel the mysteries, taking on the monsters to save the good villagers.

Sreemati’s book transports you into another world, a scenic village, beautiful twilights, fragrance of Mahua, darkness and eerie silence. I haven’t heard of any of these mythical creatures before, so for me it’s very novel. Also, in most cases, there’s a scientific explanation to the weird happenings in the village. The struggles of a doctor in a rural area, the language barrier and the unavailability of technology and equipments is portrayed very well.

‘Shadow Town, Grave Encounters With The Other World’ is an engrossing read, fresh and different. It’s fast paced,so once you begin, you would want to know what’s about to happen next. The language is perfect and there’s a glossary after every chapter for the Bengali and Santhali words.

I would happily recommend the book to all, a good debut by Sreemati Sen.