The Devil in Us

by Monica Saigal Bhide

In The Devil In Us, celebrated writer Monica Bhide weaves spellbinding stories of fate, fortune, and love into lessons for life. A startling train wreck inspires new passion in a disenchanted bride. A prophetic poet's love is hopelessly doomed by addiction. An enchanting woman literally steals a stranger’s soul. These are but three of a dozen haunting, gripping stories in which each compelling character faces the fateful moment that may forever change them.

Bhide masterfully creates pivotal twists and intangible interconnections that bring together disparate threads of hope and sorrow. If you dare, you may recognize the same fears and redemption in your own life.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

173 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2014

About the author

Monica Saigal Bhide is an internationally renowned writer known for sharing food, culture, love, and life with a lyrical voice and universal appeal. She has built a diverse and solid audience through the publication of three cookbooks and a collection of short stories, her website, MonicaBhide.com, and articles in top-tier media, including Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Saveur, The Washington Post, Health, the New York Times, Ladies Home Journal, AARP The Magazine, Parents, and many others. Her books have been published by Simon & Schuster and Random House(India). The Chicago Tribune named Bhide one of the seven food writers to watch in 2012. In April 2012, Mashable.com picked her as one of the top ten food writers on Twitter. Her work has garnered numerous accolades and has been included in four Best Food Writing anthologies (2005, 2009, 2010, 2014). Monica released her debut short story collection, The Devil in Us, in October 2014. Monica is a frequent presence on NPR, and serves as a speaker and teacher for organizations such as Georgetown University, the Association of Food Journalists (AFJ), London Food Blogger’s Connect, and the Smithsonian Institution. Her sixth book, A Life of Spice, released on April 27th, 2015

Reviews

[Ilana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories reminded me how beautiful this genre could be when practised by talented writers. But, at the same time, how difficult it is to polish every character and to make things happen for a reason only over a couple of pages. Each story reveals not only a world in itself, but brings to life human feelings, conflicts, shadows and lights and more than anything else, hope and delicate optimism that beautiful things can happen. From a story to another, the reader is facing a different challenge meeting new characters and, in most cases, strong personalities.
With the minutiae of a painter, Monica Bhide is recreating world, ambiances, human beings with a strength that will make you forget them very hard, if ever. At the end of the lecture, I learned a lot of new things not only about human feelings and life, but also discovered hidden things about my feelings and started asking new life and dead questions.
Strongly recommended to anyone interested in reading a good collection of short stories, that I hope is only one of the many that Monica will publish in the next months and years!


Disclaimer: I was offered a review copy, but the opinions are, as usual, my own

[Kathleen Flinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monica is best known for her lyrical, innovative food writing. In her first foray into fiction, she proves herself in prose with a series of intriguing stories, many marked by haunting and memorable characters.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monica Bhide does such a beautiful job of pulling the reader in to the story. Her writing awakens my senses and makes me feel like I'm experiencing things alongside the characters.

Short stories can be such a challenging form. It's so hard to develop characters and build a sense of tension and climax in such a short space. For me the best short stories have a sense of subtlety to them and Bhide really achieved this beautifully in The Vermillion Promise. In it the reader has a feeling of what has happened long before it is stated. For me it is a perfect example of a short story.

In all collections of short stories there are going to be some that the reader likes more than others. My favorite stories here were Longings and A Beautiful Boy. By the time Longings had ended I had forgotten I was reading a short story and was crushed that it was over and I wasn't going to know what happened. I think between Longing and A Beautiful Boy there is a full length novel begging to be written. (Please I really need to know more about these characters!)

The Soul Catcher had a very interesting concept that I don't think I'd read anywhere else. There was a scene with a security guard that seemed extraneous to this story, but ultimately wasn't. Trust the author.

Some of the stories provoked some strong emotional reactions from me. Some made me feel uncomfortable. Some were depressing. Some were just interesting or intriguing.

I'd only read one other book by Monica Bhide before this one, but I will definitely be looking for more. ("Read, Write, Reflect" is well worth a read for people looking a nurturing their creativity)

I received this book free as a goodreads giveaway which does not influence my review.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monica Bhide has provided her readers with an original collection of short stories that will draw you in starting with page one. Each has an emotional pull. Many left me thinking that the story could easily be extended into a novel. Her ability to focus on what is central to the plot without dwelling on non-essential details allows the reader to also center in on what is important.

I was not familiar with this author until I came across a contest giveaway she was offering in a book group. I feel very fortunate to have won a copy of this book as I probably would never have discovered it on my own.

No review was asked for or required when I entered the contest. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised when I read it and I wanted to share her work with others.

[Joseph Carano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book full of short stories by a Indian author,Monica Bhide. I am not very aware of the culture of India, and I am pretty sure I have not read anything by someone of Indian ancestry before. Putting that aside, I enjoyed this collection of stories. The characters seemed real and the plots were not overly intricate and complicated. I feel that I learned a little bit about the Indian people and their ways. At least I hope so.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was largely rather sad and dark, but each story was so rich and detailed and the characters were so vibrant that I felt like I got to "know" them as well as I would have if each story had been a full novel. There were some odd grammar and punctuation errors and some of the conversations seemed overly formal or stilted, which took a bit away for me, but not enough to really fault it.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing was good but subject was very dark, depressing.

[Chaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

an original collection of short stories that will draw you in starting with page one. Each has an emotional pull. Many left me thinking that the story could easily be extended into a novel. Her ability to focus on what is central to the plot without dwelling on non-essential details allows the reader to also center in on what is important.

(thanks catchat)

[Luca Marchiori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of Monica Bhide's food writing and from her insightful and beautifully crafted anecdotes suspected that she would do well to turn her hand to fiction. The Devil in Us, Bhide's first foray into the world of her imagination proves me right. Thirteen is the lucky number of tales in this collection, which opens up a world as exotic and flavorful as the recipes Bhide is known for. The themes are as varied as her characters but all revolve around the big questions of what it is to be human and so touch a part of us all. Not since Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected have so many twists in the tale appeared wrapped in a single cover. I hope there is more to come because this collection leaves me hungry.

Disclosure: Author supplied ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Simi Jois · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a book hard to put down, the characters, stories and the twists and turns leave you mesmerized. It’s not just a story about a far of land, it’s characters that are true, strong with situations that are common and yet not so common. They leave you wanting for more and wrap you in their lives. I give it a 10 star.

[Alexis Andre Penkala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed each story in this collection. I do truly wish that Monica would take each story and turn them into their own full book. I felt that each short story gave me just enough detail to fall in love with the characters, the environment, and the plot - and then it was over. I guess that's what makes an excellent collection of short stories! Well done! Brava!!

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most disappointing part of these stories were that they ended....I think the author could've expanded many of them into novels. I loved reading about India and the culture there as well as with those who emigrated to the US. There are a lot of deep and somewhat dark topics contained in these stories and they're fascinating to think about and ponder through. Very thought-provoking.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story collection is hard to put down. Each story draws you in and keeps you wondering how did they get there and where are they going?

[Alison Singh Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings to life authentic characters and yet each story is always surprising. I loved being led into an India I have not yet experienced. Kudos to Monica Bhide!

[Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories with a view into India.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. These stories. Just... these stories.

[Lisa S]

Recommended by Paula