Book Review: Little Occult Affairs

Every person has a story to share, and the diversity of their exposure and experiences is what differentiates one story from the other. When collected together, these stories become fragments of a bigger whole and add up to become a memorable experience for the readers. This is the charm of the anthology “Little Occult Affairs: Untold Mysteries Unfold,” edited and compiled by Yash Runwal. Runwal, through his prudence and favor to the darker elements of life, handpicks 25 stories that are a product of meditative minds who think and feel different things the same way.

The stories have diverse themes and feature the talents of the young writers in a comprehensive yet concise form. The exploration of the darker elements where life is not all about the fairytale pieces makes the anthology a work of maturity and holds more relevance for the present time. The readers get to read the reality in its raw form and face it the way it is. There is the presence of a variety of themes that show the other side of the human world which includes crime, negativities, dark sides of people, and the extents to which they can go to harm others. The editor keeps the work diverse, and yet there are common elements that the readers can trace. But that does not let any work become similar to any other. 

Stories like “The New Bride” by Kuldeep C, “The Almirah Ghost” by Midhun Harilal, “Soulonosis” by Sachin Shanbhag, “Dead or Alive?” by Nayanika Chatterjee, and perhaps all others are distinct from one another yet match each other. Every story bears the impressions of the young minds and their way of perceiving all they have witnessed or heard of. These stories are merely an introduction to the budding writers who would blossom at an individual level as they grow and attain worldly experience. The coordination and the manner in which Runwal has made efforts is reflected in the stories that he picks and features in the book. 

The language used in “Little Occult Affairs” is also friendly to the understanding of an average reader, and every reader is bound to have a profound impact on their minds after finishing the anthology. The readers who like reading short stories can try reading this anthology where they would get to hear the thoughts of different minds focusing on the same themes. Even if the stories are short, sometimes, the characters built by the authors are also compelling and individualistic. These are only some of the features that make this anthology a recommended reading for all those who want to try reading something new and fresh.