Here on TBF today, we have Demons In My Mind by Aashish Gupta from Notion Press.
When an old man finally reaches the last few miles of his journey in this world, he demands to be taken to The 3 Wise Monks. In the search to look for answers and somehow also more years to live, the kind villagers leave him under a tree for no one had ever seen the 3 monks; they were a legend, a myth, a figment of imagination. Yet, sensing the old man’s belief, they leave him, in the hopes that death would be kinder. When he finally meets the 3 monks and asks to be released from the endless pain and suffering, they merely tell him that it’s the Demons in his mind. What does that mean? Will the monks be able to help the old man? Will he finally be free of his grief and find answers to his questions?
I am an avid reader of all Nicci French books because that husband and wife duo know how to put the ‘dark’ in the disturbing tales. The author warned me that quote a few people had found it difficult to read and I was well prepared for the onslaught.
The story took me by surprise. Here I was, expecting outright gore and crazy characters but it was a seemingly normal story. The reason I got creeped out was because the author had managed to weave a dark tale amid a normal, innocent setting. The title is truly apt for the reader slowly realises that the Demons that house a person’s mind, originating from their insecurities, fears and personal issues do someday transform them into an unrecognisable monster. Although it does run from dark to pitch black sub-plots, nowhere did the story feel forced, manipulated or injected for effect. The poems amd rhymes interspersed all throughout the book had their own chilling impact.
The writing style is engaging, clean and blunt. The vocabulary used is stunning and shows the pain the author went to, to make it a good reading experience without banking only on the plot to sail the boat.
As someone who endorses the need to recognise mental heath issues, this is a great book to understand how seemingly silly things can turn a normal human being into a murderer and so much worse. My Kudos to the author for putting out a book that’s miles ahead in this run of literature and for finally, picking out topics that are hard to acknowledge and accept. I hope this book reaches many more such people who are in the need to understand how debilitating anxiety, depression and dementia can be.
One of the top reads of 2017 for me and an undoubted 5 stars for this stunner.
Disclaimer : I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange of an honest review. This book is quite blunt and open with the dark themes present in it and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with anxiety or depression.
Until next time!
Cheers!
The Lit Lodge 