Shut the Lights: A Gripping and Addictive Suspense Novel about a Twisted Family and Terrible Secrets

Smita Bhattacharya

Aug 2022 · Pixie Dust

About this ebook

A dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets... and the lengths we go to, to save the ones we love. For lovers of non-formulaic domestic noir.

For this family, the lockdown came as a blessing.

On 24 March 2020, with merely a four-hour notice, the Indian government declared a three-week lockdown as a containment measure for COVID-19. In terms of scale and severity, this lockdown was unparalleled worldwide. However, quite unexpectedly, for a family of four, cooped up in a plush Mumbai apartment, it came as a blessing. 

On the face of it, Suvini, Mridul, Damien, and Tara belonged to an upper-middle-class family, with its typical privileges and pressures. But inwardly, each of them held a dark secret that threatened to derail their very existence. And the shutting down of everything had given them the unique opportunity to get away with it. 

Or not.

Inspired by actual events.

Readers of Herman Koch, Elizabeth Haynes, and Leila Slimani will enjoy the book.

Ratings and reviews

This book is a thriller which kept me hooked to my seat. It's about a family during the covid lockdown. The idea is very creative. My expectations were very different from the actual plot. Mridul and Suvini have two children named Damien and Tara. Due to the lockdown, they are staying together and then the entire plot changes. It's about dirty family secrets and the way they deal with them. I liked the way the plot was paced and at the ending, it got intense. The first part is a bit slow but it builds up the background. All the twists were really good and unexpected. The writing was lucid and all the characters had a good development but it was very different from what I thought. The fact that it is based on true events is the icing on the cake. I liked it. The ending could have been better. I thought I needed a little more closure but it is a nice read

Usually, we hold situations where we maintain secrets from our loved ones for everything to operate naturally & lead a quiet life. Then arrives a juncture when everything stops & one has plenty of time to consider what's proceeding & what one truly enjoys in life. This happened to Mridul & his family members during the Covid lockdown, which compelled them to come out of their hectic schedules, scrutinize their internal weaknesses & wonder how things are driving. I became a lover of the author's writing after I first read 'Dead To Them' & was keen to read more of her works. And to inform you that I was happy reading 'Shut The Lights' will do no full justice. Her nail-biters are filled with twists & keep one thinking till the absolute last. If I had to pick on the nitty-gritty, then it's the few proofreading mistakes that can be handled before the following edition. I also sensed that both the book title & the end could have been slightly different.

Shut The Lights is a thriller/mystery novel by Smita Bhattacharya. The author shares the story of a family, consisting of a son, a daughter, and parents. Tara and Damien are typically teenagers- dramatic, secretive, and mischievous. They live in Mumbai. One day suddenly after the Indian government declares a complete lockdown, this family is shaken as they all hold a secret inside them. If this secret is revealed, it might throw out their mere existence. How they use this lockdown for their benefit and how the story proceeds are for you to read. Inspired by true events... This line was sufficient for me to pick this book up. The writing style is impeccable. It's almost like the thrillers written by foreign authors. The story was engaging due to the writing style. The first half of the book somewhat lacked luster as the characters went about with their lockdown lives. As the book crossed 60%, I got hooked to my seat. The author portrayed how present crimes are built on past mischiefs. Crimes can be inherited is what I felt after I read the story or so to say children learn from parents. Children especially teenagers can even multiply the mistakes committed by parents. I am so disgusted with the teenagers that I completely hate them now. The writing style is so good that I don't have a favorite character in this book as all the characters had faults and it is really hard for me to not judge them and overlook their misdeeds. Although the story is fast-paced and engaging and everything, the end disappointed me a little bit. It was an open end and I am not used to it. I get uncomfortable if I have to think and perceive what the characters do next. The length is also small as compensating for a powerful storyline in 250 pages is a big deal. I recommend this to people who love thriller/mystery novels.

About the author

SMITA BHATTACHARYA is an author and management consultant from Mumbai. She writes atmospheric thrillers with strong female protagonists and unusual storylines. Smita is an avid traveller and blogger and has solo travelled to over 40 countries. She has worked in multiple jobs: as a banker, a television anchor, in a library, in a school, in a vineyard, in a tech start-up. She has too many stories to tell, and not enough time. Learn more about her: www.smitabhattacharya.com