Jinnistan - Scary stories to tell over chai

Finally when I received the book, I was pretty eager to read it and started off right away. As I mentioned earlier, the book is a compilation of short horror stories. The stories are similar to the ones we narrate on frequent basis; supernatural events experienced by self or others. The book represents true desi essence with local settings in cities like Karachi, Lahore and Sahiwal. The language is very simple and the blend of desi language with English has added masala and taste to these stories further. You can easily relate yourself to the stories by imagining yourself experiencing horrible incidents. I am a regular follower of her "Shaadi Ever After" series on Instagram and absolutely love reading them. They span over 8 to 10 installments and posted on frequent basis. These stories have a lengthier narrative and build up simmering slowly over low heat of thrill and curiosity. I found this element entirely missing in her book. The stories were rather short and lacked depth and detailing. In some cases, the stories even felt rushed. 

I must hand it to Ayesha, all her stories had a sinister feel to them. I do not get spooked easily and am a big fan of horror fiction. However there is this one story in particular that left me feeling a bit uneasy and its also my favorite one. "Baby darwaza khol do" spooked me like no other. Its about a couple where the husband is habitual of coming late at home and calls his wife to open the gate each night. On one such night same happens but it happens repeatedly which ends up leaving the wife confused. Since she woke up from deep sleep she doesnt notice much and sleeps on it and when she wakes up in the morning her husband denies repeatedly going out of the house the previous night. This story chilled me to my bones. Imagine living with your husband and realizing that your husband is not who you think he is. He is not even human, he is something else entirely and your obliviousness knows no bounds. This story often pops into my mind when I am about to turn off bedroom lights at night. I read this story to my husband as well and I often end up asking him, if its really him? I know it sounds stupid but its just a way of pushing away the eerie spooky feeling. 

All in all Jinnistan is one of its kind read with a unique and captivating narrative. Its a quick read that shall take you about 3 hours maximum. I finished it off within 4 days by reading every night before going to bed. I found night time to be best for reading this book. As much as I enjoyed reading the book, it also left me craving for more. You know that constant feeling that something is amiss? Just that! I feel the book lacked character development and lengthy narration to develop story and hash out the details. But then again it isn't a possibility with short stories. I very much want a detailed, one story book version by Ayesha with bone chilling experiences. 

Rating: 

3.5/5  

Price: 

Rs. 1095 

Availability: 

Liberty Books 

Verdict: 

I do recommend giving this book a read. Ayesha's blend of desiness with modernism in a traditional setting with the use of simple language is what makes this book a delight to read. 

I hope you enjoyed the book review. Stay healthy and beautiful. xoxo!!!