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Susanna's Seven Husbands
206 pages
A darkly whimsical tale of lifelong infatuation and a trail of mysterious corpses, told with deceptive gentleness.
What it feels like
Reading this novella feels like sitting on a shadowed veranda listening to a scandalous, decades-old town secret unfold. It is a brisk, darkly comic exploration of fatal attraction, wrapped in the deceptively simple, nostalgic prose that the author is known for. The atmosphere is quietly sinister yet strangely melancholic, as we watch a lifelong, unrequited obsession collide with a mounting body count. The narrative maintains a wry, observational distance, making the macabre elements feel almost whimsical rather than terrifying. It delights readers who appreciate black comedy, moral ambiguity, and the gentle unraveling of a deeply flawed, dangerous romance. You will find yourself charmed by the very monster you are supposed to fear, swept up in a swift, atmospheric journey of love and death.
- Mood
- macabre
- atmospheric
- quietly sinister
- melancholic
- Tone
- wry
- darkly comic
- observational
- nostalgic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- fatal attraction · unrequited love · moral ambiguity · the passage of time · dark secrets
- The writing
- Deceptively simple and gently evocative, masking dark subject matter with understated elegance.
- The arc
- Moves from innocent childhood infatuation to a creeping, morbid fascination, culminating in a bittersweet acceptance of a deeply flawed love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy black comedy, quiet suspense, and stories of lifelong, unconventional obsessions.
Content notes
- murder
- death of spouses
- domestic violence
- suicide
About the book
Since his childhood; Arun has secretly been in love with Susanna; his dangerously alluring neighbour; who becomes his friend despite the wide difference in their ages. But Susanna has a weakness for falling in love with the wrong men. Over the years; Arun watches as Susanna becomes notorious as the merry widow who flits from one marriage to another; leaving behind a trail of dead husbands. It is only a matter of time before he too begins to wonder if there is any truth to the slanderous gossip surrounding the woman he is in love with.
In this gripping new novella of love and death; Bond revisits his previously published short story of the same name; included here in an appendix. This edition also features the screenplay Saat Khoon Maaf; based on this novella and written by award-winning film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj and Matthew Robbins.
Description from Open Library.
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