Boo! A Collection of Thirteen Stories That Will Send a Chill Down Your Spine

by Shinie Antony

Boo is a collection of well-crafted spooky stories about a he-ghoul, a departed son's soul, whispers and visitations from beyond, night howls, unearthly claws that erupt from bellies and the very first ghost in the world, among others. Penned by Shashi Deshpande, Kanishk Tharoor, K.R. Meera, Jerry Pinto, Usha K.R., Jahnavi Barua, Manabendra Bandyopadhyay, Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, Jaishree Misra, Kiran Manral, Madhavi S. Mahadevan, Durjoy Datta and Shinie Antony, the tales in Boo are sure to send a chill down your spine.

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Flinging away stereotypes, first-time author Shinie Antony has listed uterine woes with a dark and biting humour. She won a Commonwealth Broadcasting Association story writing prize in 2001 for the surreal Somewhere in Gujarat, a translated version of which appeared in the Malayala Manorama on Oct 18, 2001, and is in the present collection as Munnu. This is her first book of short stories. She worked in Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai with The Indian Skeptic, Mid-Day, The Economic Times and The Financial Express.

Reviews

[Tarang Sinha]

It's a collection of thirteen horror stories —some by my favourite writers and translator, some that I really wanted to read.

These stories are very well written, of course, and except for 5 of them, they are engaging as well. Some stories are disturbing and uncomfortable, but none of them were scary, not for me, at least — nor did they keep me on edge. They are well written (language wise), paranormal (not really spooky) stories.

That said, I must mention that I am not someone who is easily scared, so maybe it's just me.

[Mohan]

Decent spooky stories. A couple stand out.
1. Claws, by Durjoy Dutta - a cursed family indulges in sordid deeds to keep its secrets. A macabre ending makes this a highlight of this book.
2. Birth Night, by Kiran Manral - mother and child reunite!

[Itz Shasanka here]

Well, I really liked the stories. Especially the last three. Definitely recommended. I won't be elaborating much as the book consists of more than one story and I ain't talking about it all. So, better pick it up and go through it. Really an amazing read.

[Ayan Dutta]

Really bad stories , avoid

[Shoban Chittuprolu]

3/5