Kiran Manral's Blog, page 4

Book review: More Things In Heaven And Earth

“She has handled the grey area between the living and the dead with a panache par excellence. A page turner!”

Read the review on Fictionvilla here

In The Times of India: Thrill to kill: Women writing murder mysteries

A report on our session at the recent Times Lit Fest. With Arjun Gaind, Kanchana Banerjee and Gauri Sinh.

“Three crime fiction women authors, Kiran Manral, Gauri Sinh and Kanchana Banerjee came together in a live session with writer Arjun Gaind to discuss their struggles, inspirations, writings at the on-going Times Litfest 2021 on September 26, 2021. As Arjun rightly remarked to Kiran Manral, “I find it very difficult sometimes when I read your work to link. From what I know of you, you’re a very wonderfully warm and kind person who doesn’t have a mean bone in your body. I find some of your characters to be incredibly dark.” And the lines remain as relevant as ever for the three popular women writers who are ‘fascinated and intrigued’ by the dark side of human disposition.”

Read the entire article here

HoneykidsAsia.com’s top picks of Asian horror books

1.  The Graveyard Apartment  by Mariko Koike

Moving to a new apartment is fun, especially when the little ones have a bigger room and you have more wardrobe space for your favourite outfits. The only con? When it’s situated next to a graveyard. In this book, a young family starts to realise their neighbours moving out one-by-one, and are eventually left alone with someone – or something – lurking in the basement. This Japanese horror novel was first published in 1986 but has been translated, republished and loved by many, including us!

2.  The Vegetarian  by Han Kang

We all have our reasons for going meat-free. It’s more affordable, it’s good for our bodies and it’s great for the environment, too. But unlike us, this book’s protagonist’s journey as a vegetarian takes a turn when her unusual choice of diet spirals out of control and into madness. It’s a trippy horror of sorts, and it definitely makes for an interesting read. Psst, be sure to check out the other two books in the series as well, which dives into a deeper and darker abyss as the story plays out.

3.  Shiver  by Junji Ito

Written by the author of many popular and well-received Japanese manga (or graphic novels, if you’d like to call them), Shiver by Junji Ito should be on your to-read list. The manga contains 10 of Junji Ito’s best short stories which will delight any horror fans, and it’s pure nightmare fuel, too. Fun fact: these illustrations are drawn by Ito himself and are a treat for any horror fans. You should be warned, there are some really gory pictures.

4.  Valley of Terror  by Zhou HaoHui

Though the plot of this Asian horror book sounds like a thriller, we assure you, it is nothing like it seems. After all, what could go wrong when you’re investigating the deaths of victims of a mysterious “fear disease”? Well, as it turns out, you could get stalked by something – or someone – as you try to uncover the truth. A great horror read (of sorts), blended together with mystery, thrills and crime.

5.  Ring  by Koji Suzuki

Horror fans would’ve already watched the numerous adaptations of Ring, so this isn’t a new novel per se. But it’s always great to read the book, because more often than not, the novels are better than the films (there, we said it). Koji Suzuki has been hailed the Stephen King of Japan, so if you’ve enjoyed the American author’s novels, we reckon you’ll love this one, too. And, you should definitely check out Suzuki’s collection of short stories, Dark Water – let’s just say, we’re going to stay off boats for a while.

VERY SPECIAL DAYS

6.  The Hole  by Hye-Young Pyun

If you want a good psychological Asian horror book with an unnerving sense of dread, pick up a copy of The Hole by award-winning author, Hye-Young Pyun. The novel plays up to our everyday fears like loneliness, grief and depression, so it’s easy to dive into the book. Psst, if you like horror’s literary great, Shirley Jackson, you’ll love this novel (it won the Shirley Jackson award in 2017).

7.  The Ghost Bride  by Yangsze Choo

The Netflix adaptation is based on this Asian horror book, which was also picked for Reese Witherspoon’s book club. (This means it’s a must-read!) Set in our neighbouring country Malaysia, the novel centres on a girl who’s betrothed to a family’s dead son, thus the ‘ghost bride’ label. It’s been said a traditional ghost marriage will placate a restless spirit, but at what price? If you’re looking for Chinese folklore, romance, and the supernatural, then this book comes highly recommended.

8.  The Loving and the Dead: Tales of the Supernatural  by Catherine Lim

Singaporeans enjoy sharing ghost stories, and this local horror anthology by SingLit great Catherine Lim perfectly encapsulates that. The collection of 18 stories details the terror that the writer had experienced when listening to such anecdotes as a child. She also poses an interesting observation: despite our extensive scientific knowledge today, what do we really know of the supernatural? As one character succinctly puts in: “I don’t know, I don’t know. I wish I did.”

9.  The Blind Owl  by Sadegh Hedayat

Are you a fan of Edgar Allan Poe? Then pick up this Asian horror book, which has been widely regarded as a masterpiece. Iranian Sadegh Hedayat’s opus may read like a tale of doomed love, but as you flip through the pages, it’s so much more than a love story… Macabre, haunting, and unreliable thanks to the narrator, you’ll be in for a dizzyingly disturbing read as you attempt to figure out if the events truly transpired or not.

10.  The Face at the Window  by Kiran Manral

Mrs McNally is a retired schoolteacher living alone at the foothills of the Himalayas. She’s guarding secrets that, if revealed, could shatter the lives of her daughter and granddaughter. On top of grappling with her past, Mrs McNally also has to deal with a strange, vicious presence in her house that seemingly wants something from her. This novel holds a mirror to the fears that we all have: ageing, not belonging, and not having anyone love you at the end of your life.

Read the original article here

Top Ten Books by Indian authors you must read

On Eduswami

Indian authors have been recognized worldwide for their different approaches and captivating tales. The world’s greatest Epics Mahabharata and Ramayana originated in India In the Sanskrit language.

1. Midnight’s Children

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie- is a book written about colonialism by Britishers in India and it talks about the partition of British India and India’s Independence from the white’s. Buy Midnight Children only on Amazon…

2. Train to Pakistan

Written by one of the best Indian authors Kushwant Singh “Train to Pakistan” revisits the horror, agony and trauma faced by the local people during the Partition of India and Pakistan. The central themes include Religion, community, violence and sorrow. Purchase Train to Pakistan By Kushwant Singh only on Amazon.com

3. Sacred Games

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra — is one of the best thrillers ever written in the modern era. Published in the year 2006 Sacred games talks about the story of a gangster and a cop and how their fate brought them to the edge of their ambiguous mental state. Buy Sacred games here…

4. The Guide

The guide by R.K Narayan is a story of a man’s journey from a tour guide to a spiritual being. The story takes place in a fictional town in Malgudi, Southern India where story protagonist Raju works as a tour guide and he falls in love with one of the tourists Rosie. This is a must-read for the people who like allegory, drama and romance. Buy the guide by R.K Narayan here…

5. Palace of Illusions

Palace of Illusions — is a novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni an Indian author and activist best known for her award-winning novels like Mistress of spices, arranged marriage and before we visit the god. Palace of Illusion narrates the story of Hindu epic Mahabharata through the eyes of Draupadi as the main protagonist. Purchase Palace of Illusions only on Amazon…

6. 2 States

One of the highest selling novels of the modern era, 2 states by Chetan bhagat is a phenomenal book that lights up the Idea of marriage between two people of two different states…

7. Thanda Gosht

One of the chilling novels ever written by rebellion novelist and activist Sadat Hassan Manto’s was “Thanda gosht”. The story was so twisted and dark that Mr Manto faced trials in a criminal court for writing obscene uncensored events in a public novel…

8. The Inheritance of Loss

The Inheritance of Loss won the Best Man booker prize in 2006. Author Kiran Desai wrote other award-winning titles such as Indian pack, Emblems of transformation, WinQSB and more.

9. The White Tiger

The white tiger by Aravind Adiga is a novel about the protagonist Balram Halwai and his story of coming out of the middle-class society in India. The novel offers agony, suffering, dreams, adventure and joy. It’s a must-read novel of all time.

10. The Face At The Window

For all the horror fans this is one of the best novels ever written in thriller and horror genre.The face at the window by Kiran Manral is a novel about paranormal experiences and psychological mindset of a woman who was born and brought up in an orphan in India. The plot and twists will keep you awake at night. The face at the window is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Read the entire list here

Top 50 Authors on Twitter (India)

At 31 on this list along with dear friends, respected contemporaries and authors I admire.

https://bloggersalliance.medium.com/top-50-authors-on-twitter-india-1291ba6b7cc8

More Things in Heaven and Earth by Kiran Manral [BOOK REVIEW]

More Things In Heaven And Earth

Genesis of Passion

Author Kiran Mandal

Publisher Amaryllis

Format Paperback

My Rating /5

Book Description

When Kamla Malik’s husband Nihar dies of a heart attack in Goa, she’s devastated. Haunted by the lack of closure, she tries mediums, séances, and Ouija boards to help her establish contact. All she wants is a final goodbye. She tries to find him in the twisted labyrinthine worlds that he now inhabits, but does she really want him back, and worse, if she finds him, will he let her go? Or is she, as the doctors believe, living in the tunnels of her mind, making it impossible for her to distinguish hallucination from reality? Coincidentally, her eccentric and ailing maternal aunt invites her to visit at her splendidly isolated and crumbling villa in Goa. Here, Kamla meets Victor, her aunt’s stepson. He stakes his claim over the villa and with it, over Kamla. While she accepts that…

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A haunting book with a rich narrative: Review

More Things on Heaven and Earth reviewed on Kamalini Reena’s blog:

The flair and gift of Manral’s penmanship is visible in every chapter. It is only by arduous practice such like is achieved, and a seasoned writer is she.

What Manral has achieved in the last ten percent of the novel, in my mind, is slow it down to a pitch that screams out to me. What a tour de force! I wasn’t expecting this and it blew my mind.

Read the entire review here: https://kamaliniwrites.com/more-things-in-heaven-earth-kiran-manral/

BOOK REVIEW: MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH BY KIRAN MANRAL

By Privy Trifles

Review

How do you mourn the loss of love? 
This question has haunted us many times. The initial reaction of shock, moving towards anger and slowly metamorphosing into grief before collapsing into acceptance of the loss- is a journey not many can make it through and remain whole. Death shatters us in ways unknown. However much we want to tell ourselves, nothing can ever prepare us for the death of a loved one. And when that happens, we are left battling the pain for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years. 
Best-selling author Kiran Manral’s latest work More things on heaven and earth (Amaryllis Publishers, 2021) is a mirror agonizing the pain and trauma of losing a loved one. Her primary character Kamla Mallik loses her husband and is completely devastated. Seeking closure, she ventures out to everything and anything that can faintly promise her that. From Ouija boards to mediums, she tries it all to no avail. Her heart is restless and her mind is in terrible agony. All she wants is one chance to say goodbye to her husband. 
Kamla Mallik’s story holds you tightly enough to not let you go from Page 1 and loose enough to not suffocate you. As she tiptoes through her grief, you cannot help but feel for her. Her memories from a not-so-distant past and her inability to accept her present put a huge question mark on her future. 
Despite being surrounded by friends and family, she is lonely in this battle of overcoming her husband’s death. Mallik reaches a stage where she wants to move on, but cannot. There is much more at stake here than just her emotions. Kamla Mallik discovers all that is at stake, one by one. These secrets are scary and life-threatening. The challenge to guess for whom! 
It is interesting to see Manral grow as a writer through her books. From dabbling in fiction to non-fiction, experimenting with romance and drama before writing books on parenting, she has tried her hand at it all. 
However, in this book, Manral unexpectedly surprises you. The tension created in the narrative is palpable throughout. The characters are an interesting mix of eeriness and eccentrics. The prose is layered beautifully with the perfect dose of suspense, thrill, romance, and mystery. With not a single dull moment in the narrative, the story is captivating till the end. (And maybe, after that too!) 
Exploring various themes like death, relationships, love, and grief, Manral weaves an exceptional tale of love and redemption which ties the past with the future in a complicated present. The complexity of families and the secrets buried deep within the closets of their houses are bared to us in this book. The icing on the cake has to be the detailing done by Manral. Every aspect of the book is a visual treat for the reader as it creates stunning imagery of the place and the people in the story. 
A strongly recommended read for its sheer thrill, captivating narrative, and some unforgettable characters.

Read the original here

The New Indian Express: ‘More Things in Heaven and Earth’ book review: Ghosts of grief

By Shinie Antony

Here is assured, confident prose. Atmospherics are heavy, moody, and inhale you into the strangeness.

I had come here on the wind, flying in on a tiny airplane filled with tourists, honeymooners and flight attendants with expressions that could curdle milk…’ Kamla Malik, the protagonist of Kiran Manral’s new novel More Things in Heaven and Earth, always takes the weather with her everywhere she goes. Minutely observant, hyper-sensitive, electrically alive on the inside, and newly widowed, she is on her way to meet a terminally ill aunt.

She leaves Bandra, a place that demands nothing but ‘breath and the ability to pay one’s bills’, and reaches Goa, where she seeks refuge in ‘the warm wood of the pews and the soft, melting eyes of the statue of Mother Mary’. Restless and footloose, Kamla lulls you into thinking she is ordinary. ‘When I looked in the mirror today, I saw a stranger.  The woman staring back at me was unblinkingly confident. She had found her centre. Her eyes were calm and did not brim over with the saltiness of the soul that often anymore. She was at peace. I was at peace.’

But her late husband is hissing at her; how did he die? Lotusface, he calls her even now like he used to when he was alive, and she trembles because ‘I was Here and he was There’, where people usually maintain a stoic silence. There is mourning, besides doubts, distrust, twists and turns, and other-worldly whispers. ‘Grief is grey and damp, a marshland of emotions that sucks you in, tendrils of mist that caress you, asphyxiate you. Grieving is the journey you do alone, a penitence, a pilgrimage, an affirmation of being alive in the face of death that shadows us every waking moment.’ But Kamla is also a creature of the flesh. Takes two lovers, falls in love with one of them.

This is Manral’s third outing in the eerie ether—after The Face at the Window and Missing, Presumed Dead—and shows her growth and surety as a writer. Here is assured, confident prose penned by a writer whose dark side has started to have fun. Atmospherics are heavy, moody, and inhale you into the strangeness where intangibles and the unsaid are always present. ‘When you finally gather the courage to release what you’ve been hanging on to for a while, you realise it is not just a release, but also a relief. It frees you to find something else to hold on to, something else that was also waiting to be held.’

Kamla is more a disembodied spirit, tethered to nothing and no one. ‘The waters were getting higher every year, they told me. The world, beyond this canopy of green, ringed by the incoming sea and the outgoing river, was changing. Perhaps, here I would be safe from the change I didn’t want to be part of. Falling off the radar was easy.’ But her intentions are noble, secretly unselfish: ‘I was insulated from the world. Or perhaps, the world was insulated from me.’

More Things in Heaven and Earth is a haunting dirge, fusing heartbreak, hope and hallucinations. Loss runs softly through the pages, blurring the print. As Manral writes, ‘Grief isn’t elegant. It is messy, snot-nosed, feral, aching. A beast that slobbers into one’s sane moments and scratches the door of one’s composure insistently, demanding to be let out.’

Read the original herehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2021/jun/06/more-things-in-heaven-and-earth-book-review-ghosts-of-grief-2311605.html