Strangely Familiar Tales - Vijayalakshmi Harish - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Vijayalakshmi Harish

GENRE: Short Story Collection.

PUBLICATION DATE: June 4, 2020.

RATING: 4.5 stars.

Strangely Familiar Tales has just 3 stories, each from a different genre. But all are interconnected by 2 things:

1. All derive inspiration from Indian mythology.

2. All are thrillers but of varied subgenres.

My personal favourite was the 2nd story, entitled Bitter Fruit. From its first word to its last, it left me mesmerised. Such a captivating narrative! The 3rd story was an eye-opener to me in a different sense. As someone who is comparatively ignorant of mythical beings in Indian legends, I was surprised to see the variety of supernatural beings we have in our mythology and how a compelling narrative uniting all of them can be woven.

What I enjoyed almost as much as the stories was the introduction and the acknowledgements. The introduction left an indelible impression on my mind with its straightforward and intelligent nature. This line especially will stay with me for a long time: "Read diversely, because there is always the danger of falling prey to the single story."

If you enjoy short stories, if you want to support a new author, or if you simply want a free book, just go for this one. It's a quick and yet satisfying read.

Reading an author whose name is totally unfamiliar to you is always a risky process. One wrong selection and you just end up rejecting all future works by the author. But I'm glad to report that this wasn't the case here. I'll look forward to this author's works in the future.