In Memory of Death

by C Galmbi

Two months of a lifetime. That’s the timeframe of the unnamed protagonist’s memory of death  a memory welded by thoughts spun around the belief that death comes home the day we are born. An internalised belief that thoughts, even those stray ones, have the power to hasten death.

For death is a stalker. It lurks in the corners, slinking under shadows. 

‘In Memory of Death’ is a fictionalised account of those twomonths in a new country, in a new guise. It is a tale of plundered dreams and uncertain tomorrows, a narrative of life snuffed without protest. An impulsive belief that nothing is a coincidence, that every event is birthed by a single thought. The offshoots taking the protagonist to uncharted horizons – even human trafficking. 

‘In Memory of Death’ goes beyond that thought, venturing deeper into the protagonist’s obsession with death; igniting macabre visions that guide her toward her final destination.

464 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2025

Reviews

[kriti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books settle into your skin slowly, like a bruise blooming beneath the surface. In Memory of Death did that to me. It’s not an easy read—not because of the language, but because it’s so unflinchingly introspective, so heavy with despair, you almost want to look away. But you can’t.

The story unfolds over two months in a foreign land, seen through the eyes of an unnamed woman whose obsession with death is unsettling, sometimes maddening, yet strangely magnetic. She believes that death begins its slow crawl the moment we’re born—that each stray thought might be a trigger, a ripple in the fatal sequence of events. That idea alone haunted me for days.

What really struck me was how still the novel feels. Not in a boring way—but in a suspended, twilight sort of way. There’s a sense of drifting, of breath held just below the surface. I wanted the protagonist to fight, to shake the gloom off her shoulders, but she doesn’t. And maybe that’s the point. Sometimes, there’s no neat arc of redemption. Sometimes life just… evaporates.

The foray into human trafficking felt abrupt at first—like the story suddenly lurched sideways—but perhaps that jolt was necessary. It mirrored the protagonist’s own unraveling, how quickly thoughts and beliefs can become actions, consequences.

This isn’t a book I’d recommend to everyone. It demands patience. It demands your discomfort. But it’s also weirdly beautiful—like watching the sky darken before a storm. Not everything made sense to me, and I don’t think it was meant to. That flawed, jagged quality made it feel more human.

I finished it with a strange ache in my chest. Not sadness exactly, but something close. Something unnamed—just like her.
4/5
#bookpile #selflove

[bookswithkinkita · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Memory of Death by C. Galmbi is a poignant exploration of despair that weighs heavily on the heart. The story follows a nameless protagonist who, seeking hope and a fresh start, accepts a secretarial position in a bustling Gulf city. Initially brimming with anxiety about acquiring the necessary skills for her job, her aspirations are soon crushed as she confronts a grim reality far removed from her dreams.

The protagonist's life quickly devolves into a nightmare, characterized by relentless physical, mental, and emotional abuse. Each episode of exploitation erodes her spirit, leaving her stripped of all human emotions and drowning in a suffocating numbness that drives her to contemplate giving up entirely.

C. Galmbi masterfully crafts a narrative that, while fictional, resonates deeply with the harrowing experiences faced by countless women around the world. The story sheds light on the harsh reality that many endure—victims at the mercy of those who exploit their vulnerabilities for personal gain. Through the protagonist’s heart-wrenching journey, the author captures her feelings of helplessness and shattered trust with remarkable sensitivity, allowing readers to truly empathize with her plight. The portrayal of her struggles serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of such profound darkness.

[_booksagsm · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Memory of Death by C Galmbi is a stark and moving account of a young woman’s experience with betrayal, abuse, and the slow erosion of hope. The unnamed protagonist leaves her small town in India after being offered a job abroad, hoping to support her family. But instead of a secretary’s desk, she finds herself trapped in a system of exploitation. The story quietly follows her through two months of physical and emotional torment, told in a voice that reflects her growing numbness. Galmbi writes with restraint, letting the weight of the situation speak for itself, and the simplicity of the language makes the story hit even harder.

At the heart of the novel is the protagonist’s haunting belief that death begins at birth and that even thoughts can bring it closer. This idea shapes everything she goes through — nothing feels like coincidence, only consequence. Her inner world is filled with dark visions and fatalism, which mirror the control and violence she faces in real life. Galmbi uses this perspective to explore larger themes: how poverty, gender, and false promises can destroy lives, and how easily women can be silenced and forgotten. The book doesn’t offer comfort, but it does offer truth. It forces the reader to sit with the reality that for many, survival is not guaranteed — and death doesn’t always arrive suddenly, but sometimes slowly, without protest.

[Rahul Vishnoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

-A Dance of Despair and Death-
Review of 'In Memory of Death' by C. Galmbi

Quote Alert
'𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭, 𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞-𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛, 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 - 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 -𝐢𝐧.'

In Memory of Death is set in 1980s, when the craze and obsession of getting a job in the Gulf countries was on its zenith. A nameless protagonist gets a post of secretary but her hopes and dreams soon come crashing down.

Galmbi has written the story with the skill and polish of an author with at least a dozen novels under their belt. The sub-plots are intense and a doom like feel forever hangs upon the protagonist in particular and the story in general. The dialogues with Hindi sprinkled in normalize the flow, putting the story in the realm of reality.

The author has masterfully described various situations and plot points and the prose is lyrical yet haunting. Have a look- "Like a lost child, I stared at passengers scurrying around with their bags. My sandals, with their 2-inch heels, did nothing to elevate my height, leaving me feeling invisible as people walked past me, oblivious to my presence."

An engrossing read.

[Devanshi Sanghani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all stories have a happy ending, and reading In Memory of Death by C. Galmbi truly made me yearn for one. I felt deep pity for the nameless female protagonist. The way her story unfolds is heartbreaking. While some may dismiss it as just a fictional tale with a fictional character, the harsh reality is that countless women around the world endure similar ordeals at the hands of cruel men who believe they have the right to control a woman’s life.

The protagonist hails from a small town in India and is offered a job as a secretary in a Gulf country. Driven by hopes and dreams of achieving financial stability for her family, she eagerly accepts the opportunity—only to find herself trapped in a nightmare. Instead of working as a secretary, she is forced into a life of abuse, both physical and verbal, transforming her existence into one of suffocating despair that ultimately leads to her death.

This story is bound to break the heart of every reader because it serves as a haunting reminder that, somewhere in the world, there is a woman living through a similar nightmare. The thought that many women are helplessly ensnared in such circumstances is both devastating and terrifying

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely sad and painful story.
But, boring at the same time.