Maaya

 An ordinary young man with little education or background tries to cosy up to a lady working as an Agony Aunt in a magazine and finds himself entangled with a girl who has blood on her hands. And so goes the story of Mridu, who lives alone in his island home. Depressed after his sister’s suicide, he decides to contact Maaya, a mysterious lady who maintains an Agony Aunt column in a local magazine. He believes Maaya can help him come out of his misery. They become friendly and decide to write letters to each other.  Then, things started taking a different turn, leading to a subtle yet profound change.  Out of the blue, a girl from Appalachia comes to stay in his home. Things get more intriguing when he discovers Maaya’s prominent role in all the bizarre things happening in his life.

The plot of this novel is set on Willy Hunter’s Island where tourists from around the world come to visit the celebrated Temple of Eternal Youth erected hundreds of years ago. A century ago on this fantasy island, a young British travel writer romanced an islander girl and penned an account of his days with her and the secret life of the islanders. Willy Hunter’s Island boasts a myriad of tourist attractions, including a strange ancient temple with unexplained secrets. It is a tender yet beguiling story of how Maaya— a total stranger— transforms Mridu’s life from a humble garland seller to someone famous.