When Darkness Falls and Other Stories

Book excerpt: A superb storyteller who keeps his readers in thrall’—Statesman In When Darkness Falls, Ruskin Bond emerges yet again as a master storyteller: a deceptively effortless style, an eye for the extraordinary in seemingly humdrum lives, and a deep empathy with his characters—even when they belong to the supernatural realm. We meet the war veteran Markham whose deformation ends in tragedy; Susanna, the merry widow who loved each of her seven husbands to death; and Kundan Singh, the reckless rake whom women find irresistible. There are also fascinating stories from the author’s childhood, about the eccentric characters and memorable animals of old Dehradun. Told with Bond’s classic wit, these charming stories will enchant and delight in equal measure.