The Bad Seed meets We Need to Talk about Kevin in this gripping psychological thriller set in rural India with a shocking horror twist. Praise for Sakyajit Bhattacharya The novella doesn’t just problematize the lore of Ekanore that seeks to hide the true nature of reality from children. It also calls into question another, even stronger, (mis)conception: children are the emblem of innocence. Though this myth is more than just wishful thinking, it blinds us to the complexity of children, leaving us unprepared for the rude shocks they can give us. - Scroll.in Longlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature 2024, The One Legged has a fascinating aftertaste that lingers long in memory. However, for a gothic narrative, the catharsis is not fear-inducing but deeply poignant, as the reader remains parched for a world beyond the story’s frame. The open-ended resolution restates that poignancy is inconclusive, and despite suffering once, one can suffer again. - Purple Pencil Project Rearing a child is not easy, especially with monsters lurking around and within. On one leg, leaning, Picking tamarinds, swaying. In one hand a pot of salt, In the other, a knife. Cutting ears, sprinkling salt, house to house. Old Bengali folk song on the one-legged ghost When the moldy wall of the old mansion began to heave and the shadows of the cursed tree ruffled his nights, Tunu learned how darkness lives not only at night—that the home itself is like a sleeping giant, shrouded in secrets, grief and loss. As the receding history repeated itself, Tunu turned slowly, but definitely, into someone else. Into something else.