Book Review: The Evil Eye and The Charm by Neil D'Silva

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I am being a bit spooky this week, with my ghosts, spirits, demons and monsters-filled content. And going with this flow, here is a book that I read long ago, but I thought this would be a perfect time to review it. Neil D'Silva is a well-known name in the horror genre. I had a chance to read a few of his works, and the book The Evil and the Charm is one of them. 

About The Book: 

The Evil Eye and The Charm is a horror anthology consisting of 6 stories by author Neil D'Silva. The stories mainly revolve around horror involving superstitious beliefs of warding off evil and supernatural presence with lime and chillies- a charm almost every part of India practices. These usual superstitious beliefs have been followed for ages; we all know them. And the author has woven some really scary stories around those. 


About The Author:

Neil D'Silva is a prominent name in contemporary supernatural and horror literature. His work includes best-selling books like Yakshini, Maya's New Husband and the award-winning Haunted: Real Life Encounters with Ghosts and Spirits. He is also the President of the Indian Chapters of the Horror Writers Association.

My Review of The Evil Eye and The Charm:

What can be more thrilling to a reader who spends most of her time in horror/mystery fiction and movies than to get a book that has 6 eerie stories based around a commonly practised superstition? This book will remind the reader of the age-old prejudices we have been following. We practice these without even realising why we are doing them. The six stories in the book are about such practices. of keeping away the dark shadows that may cause harm to us. 

The 6 stories are: A Grave Situation, Last Juice, Chain Reaction, The Long Drive, The Locked Box and Kachcha Limboo. Each story features a regular family or common individual who goes through some very dreadful, scary situations. These often involve very regular things like excessive crying of a child or a mystery surrounding a box. 

The gradual atmospheric build-up in each narration keeps the reader glued to the book. Each story is very different from the other, in terms of set-up, despite being written mostly about superstitious beliefs. Overall, the book carries the signature style of the author in successfully creating the eerie atmosphere and is a perfect read for horror-book lovers. 

Available here

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