If there’s something common between the rich and the poor then it would be the cobweb of prejudice that keeps both the ends tied. It's omnipresent more than the god, sometimes. Notions about that spiky-haired guy, he must be a drug addict or the woman who wears a deep neck blouse, she must be a desperate one! Or about the child who is different from the rest, slow learner, doesn’t look straight into the eyes, we have names for them, the rude, hurtful ones, the names that push a knife deep into the soul of their mothers. We do it, not because we are cruel, it's because of the lack of knowledge and the taboo of society regarding mental health. It’s a “hush-hush” word, it brings shame. No wonder why there are rising suicide cases in India. We are in a very blunt way to speak, “very unkind” people because we think we are “healthy”.
The premise of “you beneath your skin” is a psychological thriller, where women are getting murdered and their faces are being mutilated beyond recognition. The novel takes time to start but once it's there, it picks up the pace and flows seamlessly throughout the book. While it’s focused heavily on murder mystery, it shares the tales of women coming from different strata of the society who have their own personal struggle. It shatters our preconceived idea that one living in a bungalow is safe and doesn’t have any difficulties in life. Apart from talking about various women’s issues like struggle of a relationship, abuses, acid attacks; the author talks in length about how people are nearsighted when it comes to mental health and special children. Even the ones who are educated lack compassion towards these children. Autistic children are name-called and they make others uncomfortable, completely negating the former’s difficulties.
Damaynti Biswas is a gifted writer, no doubt in that. She got an eye for every minute details and during our interview session, she shared her experiences of working with different NGOs to support women, particularly the acid attack victims. The book is so gripping that it made me crave more. It’s a perfect thriller book with Delhi as its background.
IN CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR-
ABOUT THE BOOK-
It’s a dark, smog-choked New Delhi winter. Indian American single mother Anjali Morgan juggles her job as a psychiatrist with caring for her autistic teenage son. She is in a long-standing affair with ambitious police commissioner Jatin Bhatt – an irresistible attraction that could destroy both their lives.
Jatin’s home life is falling apart: his handsome and charming son is not all he appears to be, and his wife has too much on her plate to pay attention to either husband or son. But Jatin refuses to listen to anyone, not even the sister to whom he is deeply attached.
Across the city there is a crime spree: slum women found stuffed in trash bags, faces, and bodies disfigured by acid. And as events spiral out of control Anjali is horrifyingly at the center of it all …
In a sordid world of poverty, misogyny, and political corruption, Jatin must make some hard choices. But what he unearths is only the tip of the iceberg. Together with Anjali he must confront old wounds and uncover long-held secrets before it is too late.
About the Author
Damyanti is the author of You Beneath Your Skin, an Amazon-bestselling crime novel.
She supports Project WHY, a program that provides quality education to underprivileged children in New Delhi. Her short stories have been published in magazines in the USA, UK, and Asia. She also helps edit the Forge Literary Magazine. Her first novel is represented by Ed Wilson from the Johnson & Alcock agency.
Damyanti’s reading journey started at the age of 3, and the obsession continues. Her most precious memories of her childhood are of summers spent reading books of all sizes, for all ages.
Apart from being a novelist, Damyanti is a blogger, animal-lover, and spiritualist. Though she loves dogs, her travel schedule doesn’t permit her one. She contents herself with keeping fish and is able to take care of them enough for them not to die on her watch. Except once, when someone happened to turn off the oxygen pump. There will be a story about that someday.
Reach out to the author https://www.damyantiwrites.com/.
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