Acclaimed novelist, historian, and Sahitya Akademi Award–winning writer Aruna Chakravarti, celebrated for her bestselling Jorasanko novels, returns with a spellbinding new collection, Creeping Shadows, a book that reaffirms her place as one of India’s most powerful literary storytellers.
In Creeping Shadows, Aruna Chakravarti brings together thirteen chilling tales that traverse centuries, cultures, and geographies. Each narrative begins with the intimacy of human experience and slowly unfurls into something darker, unexpected, and unforgettable.
From a teahouse in ancient China to a brothel in 19th-century Calcutta, from a forest lodge in Bankura to an old mansion in Bangladesh, and finally to a bustling university campus in modern Delhi, Chakravarti constructs a vivid, immersive world where everyday life dissolves into the uncanny. These stories are not mere ghostly encounters, they are deeply crafted emotional tapestries that culminate in twists that jolt, unsettle, and leave a lingering chill.
Known for her unparalleled ability to merge historical richness with gripping narrative, Aruna Chakravarti uses her command of atmosphere, character, and cultural detail to push the boundaries of the contemporary ghost story. With Creeping Shadows, she once again demonstrates why she remains one of the most revered voices in Indian literature today.
Here’s to an invitation into thirteen haunting worlds, each story a shadow that follows you long after the last page is turned.
‘The horror of each story stayed with me for a long time. A true page-turner!’
RITUPARNA SENGUPTA
‘These thirteen disquieting tales with their vaporous, dreamlike prose hold the reader in thrall as they resonate with silent screams that unveil dark secrets and unheard soundscapes’
NAMITA GOKHALE
