You Beneath Your Skin: cover reveal

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover for Damyanti Biswas’ debut crime novel, You Beneath Your Skin, which will be published by Simon & Schuster, India, this September. I’ve known Damyanti as part of the blogging world since years, and though we have met only once, it didn’t feel like we were strangers – we knew so much about one another via our blogs and many shared conversations. It’s such a blessing and joy when you meet virtual friends face to face, and realize that your virtual friendships do actually translate into real-world friendships!

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get to the cover! The first thing that strikes me is the bold typography. While I do love beautifully illustrated book covers, there’s something about a stripped back cover that focuses on the type that is very compelling. Along with the bold type, the muted red and black captures the nuances of an atmospheric crime story, and the face visible under the title makes you wonder who the woman is, and what her story might be.

You Beneath Your Skin: From the back cover

Lies. Ambition. Family. 

It’s a dark, smog-choked New  Delhi winter. Indian American single mother Anjali Morgan juggles her  job as a psychiatrist with caring for her autistic teenage son. She is  in a long-standing affair with ambitious Police Commissioner Jatin Bhatt  – an irresistible attraction that could destroy both their lives.

Jatin’s  home life is falling apart: his handsome and charming son is not all he  appears to be, and his wife has too much on her plate to pay attention  to either husband or son. But Jatin refuses to listen to anyone, not  even the sister to whom he is deeply attached.

Across  the city there is a crime spree: slum women found stuffed in trash bags,  faces and bodies disfigured by acid. And as events spiral out of  control Anjali is horrifyingly at the centre of it all.

In  a sordid world of poverty, misogyny, and political corruption, Jatin  must make some hard choices. But what he unearths is only the tip of the  iceberg. Together with Anjali he must confront old wounds and uncover  long-held secrets before it is too late.

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Sounds interesting? You can pre-order YOU BENEATH YOUR SKIN here.

You Beneath Your Skin: Mini review

This book feels extra special to me – not just because Damyanti is a good friend, but also because I received an advance review copy of the novel – and bounced off some ideas and suggestions with her while reading it. You Beneath Your Skin is a literary crime fiction – a genre that hasn’t really been attempted by Indian authors before. The novel tackles the sordid truth of the murkier aspects of power, poverty, and crime, and exposes the flaws that are inherent in all of us. The story keeps you hooked right from the first page, as you turn the pages compulsively to see what will unfold next. The character building is excellent and I found myself wanting to reach out and hug Anjali as she tries to deal with everything that is thrown her way, or whack Jatin for being blind to what is happening around him.

If you enjoy crime fiction, get this book. If you engage with social issues, get this book. If you enjoy books that weave together crime, the vagaries of life, social issues, and the complexity of relationships, get this book.

Pre-order YOU BENEATH YOUR SKIN here.

Do you read crime novels? What do you think of the cover of You Beneath Your Skin? Would you like to read You Beneath Your Skin, and make a pre-order?

For You Beneath Your Skin, all proceeds to the author would be divided between Chhanv Foundation and Project WHY.

To support the organisations,  pre-order HERE.

About the author:

Damyanti Biswas lives in Singapore, and works with Delhi’s underprivileged children as part of Project Why, a charity that promotes education and social enhancement in underprivileged communities. Her short stories have been published in magazines in the US, UK, and Asia, and she helps edit the Forge Literary Magazine. You can find her on her blog and twitter.