Title:
Young Blood: Ten Terrifying College Tales
Author:
Chandrima Das
Publisher:
HarperCollins India
Genre:
Horror, Thriller
Pages:
336 pages
I have never picked a ghost book before. There might have a presentiment that horrors of life are more torturous than any ghostly creature. I was just an ignorant person though. I loved the storytelling of Chandrima Das. I will make sure to pick more titles of this genre.
In Young Blood, Chandrima Das takes an inspiration from pre-existed tales spreading among academic campuses, abandoned colleges, and haunted sightings of India. It makes sense to read about real incident first. For that, author added some notes in the last few pages that covered few facts and details.
These stories happen between friends, room-mates, and lovers. What I liked about this collection is treatment; writing is crisp, with clear cut sentences. Each character has its own battles, wrapped in psychological fear and inner insecurities. So, I found them completely sympathetic and so convincing.
Some stories are really scary, that triggers imagination and takes you into unknown zone. Das didn’t forget to add that thrilling element that elevates the reading experience. I would say, it is such a page-turner.
‘I challenge you to spend the evening in a haunted building. I will prove to you that science cannot explain everything in the world.’
The first story, Challenge Accepted, sets in abandoned science college in Hyderabad. This story begins with four friends, precisely believer and non-believer. During a college debate, they challenge to each other and that’s how a planned evening turns their life upside down. The way author has woven imagery, sends real chill to the spine.
‘This wasn’t the first time I had been called names, and it wouldn’t be the last. But the number didn’t matter. It hurt every single time, to be targeted and degraded doubly- for my body and my race.’
In another story, titled ‘The Inner Door’, Chandrima Das brings an important issue regarding to north eastern girls of India. The way these girls are targeted for their race, the mental trauma they generally face is unimaginable. It is a tale of two roommates, haunting voices, and that creepy inner door. This story sets in University of Delhi, sometime in the late 2010s.
The next story I liked the most is ‘The Colours of a Bruise’, it is inspired from the incident happened in Fergusson College, Pune.
‘How could I forget that story? It was one of those undying that had floated inside FC for years, passed down from to batch, changing the shapes of its details but never losing its essence.’
There is a blurry line between love and being in toxic relationship. Most often we fail to read the difference. Here, this sequence captured the theme of this story, ‘what more did I want? Nothing. Maybe I wanted less – less anger, fewer demands, less control over where I went and who I met.’
I am not going to discuss the detailed plot of each story, as it would ruin the experience of reading. Drop everything and just pick this book, even if you are not a fan of this genre, you will definitely get a nostalgic feel of college days and so. Highly Recommended.
About The Author
Chandrima Das has a B.Tech in Computer Science from NIT Durgapur and an MBA from IIM Calcutta. After a decade-long career in management consulting, she followed her passion for writing. Her digital debut The Talking Dead was a bestseller in the horror category. She's performed live at storytelling events with Tall Tales and Kommune, and was published in The Best Of Tall Tales.