The Belvoirbrooke Haunting-Abhirup Dhar

Book: The Belvoirbrooke Haunting
Author: Abhirup Dhar
Publisher: Redgrab Books

What is the scariest horror story you have heard?

The Belvoirbrooke Haunting by Abhirup Dhar is set in the tea gardens of Darjeeling in the year 1990 when a newly married couple Nihith and Jemisha come to live in the Belvoirbrooke Tea Estate, which was founded in 1865. After a few days of calm, somethings start happening that hint towards the presence of a paranormal entity in that place and drives Jemisha on the brink of insanity, or just bow down to the rules that govern the local legend. To soothe the nerves of his wife, Nihith hires Chitin Barman, a paranormal investigator and a clairvoyant psychic. Is the mystery of the haunting solved, or do they fall prey to an urban legend?

Horror is a genre that walks on thin ice. With subtle spine-chilling horror scenes and the continuous ominous mood, this story is a perfect horror story, one that scares you, but not beyond a point that it seems ridiculous. The plot is executed in a perfect arc that takes the reader through multiple levels of horror and the author has taken time to establish the horror in the story. The commendable thing about this book is the fact that while the book is quite short, almost a single sitting read, but there is no detail that Abhirup has skipped. There is explanation, paranormal investigation, horror, romance and a certain mystery that makes it an amazing read. The climax of the book was truly unexpected, and the last scene will tingle your spine, and not just because of the horror element. The one thing that could be improved in the book is the division of scenes with some markers.

Coming to the characters, I’ll take this opportunity to feature our beloved paranormal being and his scariness was truly hair raising. A being created with alacrity and one that does not overact, I loved the part he plays in this book. Chitin Barman is another quirky character that adds a certain charm to the book. The show, however, is stolen by Nihith and the manner in which his character develops through the book.

The book is a perfect Halloween read that scores a 4.5/5 for me.

Grab a copy here.