Details
Length: 248 pages
Publisher: Vishwakarma Publications
Publication date: 14 September 2023
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199277324-sapna-s-bad-connection
Amazon India: Link
Blurb
Sapna Damle, a successful entrepreneur listed in Corporate Woman magazine, receives a string of abusive and threatening chat messages on her 33rd birthday. But the biggest shock is yet to come: the sender is a ghost.
Kedar, her boyfriend who mysteriously died by suicide eight years ago, has returned to her life and he is angry and vengeful.
Filled with personal details, the messages invade her privacy until she feels violated and haunted in every way.
The only way out for Sapna is to fulfil the challenges that this ‘bad connection’ sets for her. She would need to overcome her extreme fear in this gruesome quest, even if it means facing explosive truths about her own identity.
Will Sapna unmask her digital stalker and face the ghosts of her own murky past?
My Thoughts
I usually do not pick up horror (because I’m a scaredy cat), but Neil’s books are different. They’re not desperate to scare the reader with vile stuff. Instead, they’re keen observations on various aspects of human behaviour, subtle commentary on societal norms or nuanced takes on the world around us. That’s what sets his books apart from the other horror novels that I’ve (partially) read.
Sapna’s Bad Connection is a psychological mind-bender guaranteed to give you goosebumps. I could relate to Sapna’s distress when she got digital messages filled with intimate details about herself–and she lives all alone. Neil’s ability to get under your skin and make you feel real feelings is amazing. It’s as if he has an inside view into people’s lives and is privy to their private goings-on.
The first half of the book focuses on how Sapna’s mind and life begin to unravel as the ghost of her dead boyfriend sends her progressively abusive messages and intimate photos. Nobody believes that she’s being haunted by a paranormal entity, especially since the messages disappear. This adds to her fear and suffering leading her to make questionable decisions with her business and relationships.
We get the picture of a strong, independent woman reduced to an emotionally unstable mess by the ghosts of her past. Her loved ones, who are supposed to care for her and protect her, do not take action. There’s a hard-hitting section in the book that describes how the people closest to us are the ones who tend to be inert when they should be taking action.
As we follow Sapna’s steps through the lanes of her past, it becomes increasingly horrific as she inflicts severe damage in her overzealous attempt to shake off the ghost. It was, at times, too difficult for me to read because I cannot face the reality that the human mind has darker aspects that compel a person to do unspeakable acts.
If dark, gritty, psychological thrillers interest you, Sapna’s Bad Connection is unmissable. It’s one of those books that require you to take a reading break before you pick up your next book because there’s so much to absorb and assimilate.
Go for it!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book from Blogchatter in exchange for an honest review.)
About the Author
Neil D’Silva
With 12 books to his credit, Neil D’Silva is a known name in the Indian literary world. His unique stories have struck a chord with a wide range of readers, eliciting praise from various quarters. He is published with leading publishers such as Penguin Random House, Rupa Publications, and Hachette among others, and has won screen adaptation deals on four of his books.
He has been named as one of the Top 7 Indian horror writers to be read by UK’s DESIblitz magazine. Considered as one of the forerunners of contemporary Indian horror literature, he has been covered by several leading publications and is invited to speak at prominent litfests around the country.
He was a winner at the Delhi Literature Festival Short Story Competition of 2015. His book Maya’s New Husband won the title of Entertainer of the Year at the Literary Awards 2015 that was co-hosted by Authors’ Ink Publications and Inside Stories.
Book Reviews by Satabdi 
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