Dakhma by K. Hari Kumar

Dakhma by K. Hari Kumar took me a long time to finish as I was preoccupied with other things in life. But I managed to finish it last year. As a book reviewer, as you progress in reading, your mind starts recording points to highlight and discuss in your next post. The same was happening to me. After a small vacation at my mom’s, I am back to writing and discussing what I felt about the book, Dakhma by K. Hari Kumar.

The storyline of Dakhma

This story is a combination of politics, horror and Zoroastrian religion. It starts with the political background of the protagonist couple with drops of horror that start as soon as they shift to their new home. I would say that the protagonist, Anahita’s, mental disorder overshadows the horror. She is a patient with depression and anxiety disorder resulting in Schizophrenia. So technically, the horror conquers when the story picks up after a few chapters and things start happening even when Anahita is not imagining them.

The pace takes you along

The pace of the story is good and all parallel angles of the story are well woven together. There is a clear explanation for every circumstance and closure for all open ends. There’s clarity in the bits joined to weave the history of the characters and I liked how we come back to the present, leaving behind an unclosed door of the past. It keeps you intrigued and you wait for the connecting chapter.

The cover of the book is apt and acts as a teaser to its reader. The author has made all his characters tech-friendly and understands the importance of the internet. There’s a good use of social media in the story that hooks you to the real world.

Dakhma the title

The author’s hard work shows in the research he’s done for the topics. The title of the story, Dakhma, is well explained in simple language, clarifying the Zoroastrian faith and how Parsis suspected a decrease in the number of vultures early in time.

According to the author, Dakhma or the tower of silence, was a circular structure where dead bodies were left for consumption by scavenging birds like the vulture. This tradition was called Dokhmenashini. The rest is awaiting you in the book!

It’s easier to connect the dots as you reach the end and all mysteries are solved nicely. If you are an intelligent horror reader like me then you may expect the end. Ok, this post is not going to be a spoiler alert.

Also read: India’s Most Haunted by K. Hari Kumar

Towards the end

Well, I must confess that when I started, I was not hopeful that the story would pick up so gracefully and end satisfying its readers. Once you are into the rhythm of the story, you will finish it in one go. The past and the present are at safe intervals, keeping in mind that the reader does not get confused and lose in between. The secret is safe until the end.

An author creates his own story in the mind of his readers. As you read, you see an imaginary life of the author and relate the instances from the book to his style of storytelling. The author, K. Hari Kumar, is an Indian screenwriter and bestselling author of horror novels and short stories. You can follow his work on all social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I admire the way K. Hari Kumar promotes his latest work by creating characters on all his social media channels. He throws little hints here and there for readers to get excited about the book and pick it up soon. It keeps you interested in his latest release and a book reviewer like me doesn’t rest until she publishes her review.

You can buy the book at Amazon. Let me know what’s your reaction to Dakhma.

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