Yakshini - Neil D'Silva - ★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Neil D'Silva

GENRE: Horror

PUBLICATION DATE: October 11, 2019.

RATING: 3.25 stars.

My friends know that I'm not a horror reader. As such, I was totally unfamiliar with the name, Neil D'Silva, until I saw it on the cover of Route 13: Highway to Hell. He had written the foreword for this horror anthology and that write-up revealed his passion for writing and the horror genre. I never imagined then that I'd interact with Neil in another group. Curious cat that I am, I wanted to check out one of his books. That's how Yakshini landed in my reading list, in spite of its being a horror novel.

The first thing that attracts you about Yakshini is its brilliant cover. The illustration is so striking that it creates a great impact on the reader's mind. The next intriguing part is the story. Reading the blurb tells you that this is a juxtaposition of mythology and horror, not a combination that you see often.

Yakshini is the story of a young girl named Meenakshi who lives an ordinary life in an ordinary village. The only thing is, she isn't ordinary. Blessed with celestial beauty, Meenakshi doesn't understand some events unfurling in her life until time reveals a horrifying truth. She has a bloodthirsty Yakshini living within her. From that point on, the story resembles a battle of wills between Meenakshi and the Yakshini.

So, does 'Yakshini' meet my expectations? Mostly yes with a generous sprinkling of no. The initial part of the book is set in the fictitious village of Vatgaon. The simplicity of rural life and the mentality of the people is brought to life beautifully. Right from the start, you are hooked into the story. The writing is pacy and upto about 50% of the book, you'll find it very difficult to keep it aside. (I'd rate this first section of the book 4.75! It's that captivating!) Things then become a little repetitive but not hopeless. Neil D'Silva has a knack of twisting the story in an unexpected direction each time you become complacent in your reading. It is the twists that keep you going in the second half more than the story itself.

I did enjoy the book, as much as I can possibly "enjoy" a horror novel! The characters of Meenakshi and her parents are nicely layered. The sprinkling of Marathi words in the spoken dialogues adds tremendously to the charm of the book.

Meenakshi is supposed to be the youngest of seven daughters but no where in the book is this fact used as a banal "daughters are burdens" trope by the author. I was just beginning to admire him for this refreshing take until I realised that the narrative is succumbing to a different cliche: that men look at a woman for her body alone. Though required by the story because of the Yakshini factor, I, as a woman, found it getting on my nerves. A minor thing that bugged me towards the end was that when the narrative should have been quick because of the upcoming end, a couple of chapters in that last section begin with philosophical musings. This affects the tempo of the climax. But these are micro problems. Viewed on macroscopic scale, the book does deliver. I had mentioned in my Route 13 review how important "closure" is to me when I read horror. This novel does provide complete closure, to my great relief.

There is a little gore in the story but I guess that's a staple in horror books nowadays. Overall, it is still a very interesting book to read. If you want to try a different kind of horror, Yakshini will suit your requirements perfectly. It's scary, but not typical bhoot-pret-vampire horror. It will give you chills and thrills adequately.