The Evil Eye and The Charm- Book Review

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The Evil Eye and The Charm
Author: Neil D'Silva
Publisher: Amazon Kindle E-book
My  Rating: ***1/2
About the author:
Neil D'Silva has recently debuted as a novelist with the publishing of his book on horror- Maya's New Husband. A winner of Literary Awards 2015 (India) in The Entertainer category, and of NaNoWriMo 2014, the novel is also the top 100 listed book in the horror category on Amazon Kindle India.

 The Evil Eye and The Charm is a collection of three short stories based on a centuries old Indian tradition of using the 'nimboo-mirchi (lemon-chili) charm' to ward of evil spirits.Though these stories are based on a very common superstition, what will take the reader by surprise is the spook- quotient!
The author starts each story by building up a scene that one can easily relate with. It may seem like a very commonplace scenario that might as well be taking place in your own home or in your neighborhood, as you read. What happens as the story progresses, has the potential to take your breath away.
The story-telling in all the stories is fluent and the pace is also perfectly in rhythm with the speedy developments in the protagonist's lives. Choice of good words and structure of sentences, near perfect grammar and smooth narration, made for easy reading. In fact the way the stories were developing, I found myself  reading ahead, without a break. The author had me hooked from the first word in the curtain-raiser story to the conclusion of the third story in the collection. And boy did he give me goose-bumps all over!

Indian mythology has numerous stories explaining the necessity of hanging the lemon-chili talisman at the door and justifying the superstition but there cannot be any rational confirmation for the same.However, it is interesting to see how these devices can change human behavior, making people act in ways they would not have normally.The very charm that wards off bad luck can also be the source of all evil!

Warning: For those with a weak heart, avoid reading the stories when alone or at night. Arm yourself with a bottle of water! 

Moral of the Stories: Never mess with the unknown....

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