Book Review: The Morning Mist by Mahesh Sowani

We all have ideas of our dream lives. Some of the fortunate ones among us also get to live that dream life. But what if the dream turns into a nightmare? That is the basic premise of Mahesh Sowani’s novella, The Morning Mist.

The Morning Mist is a short, quick-paced thriller. Vinay, an IT professional, wants to retire early and live in the lap of nature. Right after turning 40, he retires from work. With his wife Sulabha, he moves into a stately mansion in a forest area in Maharashtra. Strange things start happening with Vinay as the couple settle down in their new house. That’s where the story starts taking shape.

The Morning Mist brought to mind some of the staple horror shows in Hindi television like Aahat, Zee Horror Show etc., and in a good way. The story has a secret at its core, and the author crafts the whole structure of the mystery around that. He uses that secret and the classic tropes of horror and mystery to thrill and throw misdirection at us. It isn’t readily apparent what sort of web we’re in, but it starts paying off as the book goes along.

More than the horror, the mystery is the stronger facet of this story. There are points where the reader is naturally drawn to suspect almost everyone. And more often than not, the story manages to stay unpredictable.

The latter stages of the book threaten to go off the rails with some seemingly odd developments. But, by the end, all the threads are tied up well.

At various points, the story jumps from one point to another. The jumps are confusing initially, but pretty soon, we get a hang of the device the author is employing.

There are four main characters in the story. They are relatable, although some more detail about their lives before the story starts would have made them well-rounded. I’d also have liked the story to deal with the conflicts of the characters more. As it is, most of their push-pulls are already set in the story when we come across them.

Through The Morning Mist is an enjoyable read, and a breezy choice for the lockdown times. It can be finished in a single sitting.

Pages: 55.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½

Genre: Mystery, Horror.

Have you read Through The Morning Mist? What are your thoughts on the book and this review?

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This review is written as part of the Blogchatter Ebook Carnival. For more books featured in the carnival, click here.

About the author:

Mahesh Sowani is the author of the books Minor Characters Major Stories, Four Stories of Love, Hope and Desire and My Spiritual Journey.

Thanks for reading.