While this contains a range of stories, including mysteries and the supernatural, the strongest stories are those focusing people and the everyday. With sharp, witty, and sometimes cynical insights, these are situations almost everyone can relate to: a young boy exploring whether there really are ghosts in the bushes, another wondering if his father really is proud of him, and small sections of reflective prose.

The writing style for the mystery and supernatural stories is statacco, with short sentences that are rarely more than one line. Written from third person omniscient, it creates an impression that you are watching the events, not part of them, and never really gets into the characters’ heads. The shorter everyday pieces have a flowing and more descriptive style, written from close third, focusing on the main character. Personally, I found this easier to get into these stories, but neither is right or wrong.

The first story ends with a “to be continued in” but as it is the only one, I won’t take points for that. The English is sometimes a little strained and there is some unusual phrasing: “his questions was making” instead of “were making”. The grammar is unusual (e.g. commas after quotes instead of inside them), but consistent throughout. Speech is not indented but begins on a new line.

As the stories vary so much, it is hard to give a rating. For me, I would say it is a three – readable, but not outstanding or particularly memorable. Readers familiar with Indian culture or outlooks may enjoy it more.