Aoirei

by Ranajay Das

When Kiku visits Japan to escape his numb, drugged up life, he comes face to face with the blue spirits he has been avoiding since childhood - the Aoirei. Together, with a beautiful and mysterious spirit guide, he journeys through Japan, India, a world of righteous serial killers and a village of souls that exists outside of time.

Aoirei is an unsettling but eerily familiar story of forgotten memories, trauma, spirits and the search for truth.

177 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2020

About the author

Ranajay Das was born in Kolkata, India and spent most of his childhood in the city of Indore. He is now a citizen of Singapore and a full-time traveler (not to be confused with time traveling). In his spare time he writes books, codes in Python and works on his personal development and self-discovery.

Reviews

[MaryAnn Loo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, I had to keep reading it until the end. The story is well-paced, with chapters alternating between the protagonist's narration of ongoing events, and seemingly unrelated subplots which are actually linked back to the main story as you read further. Through his writing, the author has managed to create an eerily fantastical world that draws the reader in, perhaps even causing some to question deeper into the truths about themselves, about life after death, and how we are bound by our past traumas and experiences.

The only thing I didn't like so much was the reveal of the protagonist's true identity, because it got a little confusing and seemed rather abrupt compared to how the previous chapters had been building up to that pivotal point. In spite of that, I love how the author has crafted the ending, leaving me feeling like I had just been on a life-changing journey with the characters and coming out hopeful and inspired at the end.

[starduest · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - great premise and interesting cast of characters. Plot flows well though final handful of chapters moved at a quicker pace. Interestingly I liked the chapters set in India the most. Thumbs up for a debut novel by a self-published (I assume) writer

[Edmund Leow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing debut novel! The author has created a captivating cast of interesting characters spanning multiple countries and time. Would be looking forward to a sequel!