Get Set to be Thrilled: The Other Side

April 15, 2014
Authors: Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee
Publisher: Mahaveer Publishers
Year: 2013
ISBN: 9789350880760
Rating: ★★½☆☆
Read book reviews from other readers

The Other Side is a collection of 13 short stories about psychic activities for which there are no rational explanations. The book also includes a prelude and epilogue where the authors write about their own personal mystical experiences. “Fear is the most of the potent of all weapons” is a statement in the prelude. The authors have used their all their creative prowess to untap this fear in the readers. Each story is set in a different milieu and describes the experiences of believers and non-believers in ghosts.

The first story – The Fateful Night – is a story of a young couple celebrating their wedding anniversary with a strange experience. Though the story reminds us of an old Hindi movie – the dialogue:  “You have granted them peace in their death. The poor souls just needed some care and affection”, makes the story less eerie and more humane. The Fateful Night is one of the better stories in the book.

The Long Weekend, The Strangers in the Night, The Lady in the Pub and The Dream Girl are uncanny stories with the right dosage of romance and sex, which makes for an interesting read. As the reader proceeds further, The Mark of the Beast, The Man who did not Fear, The Muse Comes Calling and Red Bangles are all weird but predictable stories and cause a lull in the book. The book has equally sweet and simple stories – A Mother’s Love and The Mystery Lake. Though the story Possession clearly reminds the reader of the Hindi movie Vaastu Shastra, it could be read again if you want to relive the experience.

The best of the authors’ creative works is The Unfulfilled Desire which combines romance and rationality with the investigative expertise of the authors. There is a huge element of detective skill which the readers could spontaneously pick-up from the central character, Dr.Rajiv Gupta. What touched me the most was the love of the protagonist for his job and his workplace, the Primary Health Centre.

The Other Side is a book that highlights creepy and sinister experiences and makes for a good read. As promised, the authors have made the best use of their dexterity to describe spine-chilling yet tender everyday experiences, which makes this book a heady maze. This book is a good gift for starry-eyed high school teenage girls, atleast the ones who would love ghostly experiences at night in their dormitories. For movie-buffs, the book is a clear let down. Nevertheless, the authors have tried to provide the best possible answers to “only questions, questions and questions,’’ pertaining to paranormal activities in our lives.

Check out Life is Like This for a second opinion on this book, and this Buzzfeed post on 2-sentence horror stories for shivers up and down your spine!

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *