Presents
Stories that hold a mirror looking directly into the subconscious
INSTRUMENTS of TORTURE
by Aparna Sanyal
Descend into the deepest, murkiest torture chambers of the soul, where rapacious dreams dwell and nightmares are forged. Come, explore the mind’s private darkness.
‘Aparna Sanyal takes you on a hypnotic journey.’ – Sonali Bendre
‘Aparna’s prose carries tenderness in its brutality.’ – Namita Gokhale
Published by HarperCollins
Paperback | Fiction | 200 pp | INR 399
Releasing 21 February 2024
About the Book
Descend into the deepest, murkiest torture chambers of the soul, where rapacious dreams dwell and nightmares are forged. Come, explore the mind’s private darkness.
These stories are each named after a medieval torture device, and the true meaning—and impact—of every title bubbles to the surface as the connection between the instruments and their psychological counterparts are revealed. Among these pages, an anguished child is drugged with hormones to ‘cure’ his dwarfism in ‘The Rack’; a forbidden love affair unfolds dangerously in ‘The Judas Cradle’; a man is reunited with his first love in the strangest of places in ‘The Pillory’.
Torn asunder and existing at the edges of our peripheral vision, the people in these tales hold up to the reader the greatest instrument of torture yet: a mirror that looks directly into the subconscious.
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Author Aparna Sanyal says, ‘The idea for Instruments of Torture incepted itself into my head some summers ago, while visiting a physical exhibition of medieval torture devices. It stayed entrenched until I got the eight stories firmly on paper. The more I read about the devices’ cruel and unusual histories, the clearer the stories became in my mind’s eye. Often, I get asked how long it took to write this book; let’s just say it has lived in my head for a lot longer than it has on paper.’
Prerna Gill, commissioning editor, HarperCollins India says, ‘Serrated yet mesmerizing, this book will draw your imagination towards the wonders and horrors of the human psyche. A startling demonstration of the power of the written word.’
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Praise for Instruments of Torture
‘Aparna Sanyal takes you on a hypnotic journey to hell and back as she explores the dark side of the human psyche…this haunting tale reaffirms her mastery over twisted tales.’ – Sonali Bendre
‘Aparna Sanyal’s dark, brooding and unblinking prose carries tenderness in its brutality.’ – Namita Gokhale
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About the Author
Aparna Sanyal holds an MA from Kings College, London. Recipient of the 14th Beullah Rose Poetry Prize by Smartish Pace, she was shortlisted for the 2018 Third Coast Fiction Prize.
This book is her first foray into fiction. Her debut book, Circus Folk & Village Freaks, released in October 2018 and was number one on the Amazon India Poetry Bestseller list. It is the first featured poetry recommendation on ‘Sonali’s Book Club’ and has stellar reviews in The Hindu, The Asian Age, The Indian Express, Midweek, et al. Aparna’s publication credits include The Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 20-21, The Hong Kong Proverse Poetry Prize Anthology 2020, The Penn Review, Smartish Pace, Dunes Review, SOFTBLOW, Vayavya, Typehouse Literary Magazine, et al.
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Press Contact:
Naiyya Singh
Senior Manager, Marketing
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