by: Babujee
Genre: Political Psychological Thriller
Release Date: August 31, 2025
Naïve Passionate Dangerous.
Manush is all of these—and more. Caught between the heat of first love and the fire of revolution, he confuses desire with destiny and activism with annihilation. What begins with tender hope ends in blood-soaked betrayal.
Set against the turbulent backdrop of Calcutta’s Naxalite uprising, this haunting debut novel unravels the journey of a boy-turned-assassin—his convictions twisted, his soul scarred, his story unforgettable.
The author grew up in the heart of this upheaval, witnessing firsthand how political fervor tore through families and futures. Crimson Mirage is not just fiction—it’s a reckoning. A meditation on blind love, brutal reprisals, and the elusive promise of freedom.
Beads of persperation had appeared on her temple, shining like moving pearls in the indirect light. Manush was mesmerized. She looked beautiful!
Mita looked at him impatiently. “How long will the boy be? Is he fetching tea leaves from the Darjeeling Tea Gardens?” she smiled. An old joke, still, Manush smiled with her.
But his heart missed a beat. This was the first time she had smiled only for him. He was happy, angry, pleased, agitated, frustrated—and, above all, confused. What did he want from her? More importantly, did she want anything from him?
He remembered his ‘guru’, a college Casanova at Residency. The bloke had taken upon himself the mission of bringing simpletons like him up to speed on how to swing it with girls. The chap sermoned, “Never get confused about a woman. If you feel that way with anyone, turn and run like the wind. Unless you do that, she’ll chew you alive… that is, if she’s kind; an evil one will hook you at the end of a line and play with you as you drown.
“Charge like a bull, ask, don’t be sheepish or bashful around women. If the response is ‘Yes’, very well, you’re lucky, buy movie tickets for two. If her response is ‘No’, buy a bottle of Old Monk rum from our good old Shaw & Co.—call me if you can’t handle the whole bottle alone—weep through the night. The next morning, when you’re fit, look around for new pastures.”
Manush sighed. As usual, it was easier to preach than act. He did not want to admit he had that indefinable ‘something’—adolescents would call it a ‘crush’—for Mita. But he did not have the courage to ask. If she said, ‘No, ’ he did not have the foggiest idea what he would do. So, he stuffed his feelings in a limbo jar…‘Time in a Bottle…and flew around it in circles.
Mita looked at him impatiently. “How long will the boy be? Is he fetching tea leaves from the Darjeeling Tea Gardens?” she smiled. An old joke, still, Manush smiled with her.
But his heart missed a beat. This was the first time she had smiled only for him. He was happy, angry, pleased, agitated, frustrated—and, above all, confused. What did he want from her? More importantly, did she want anything from him?
He remembered his ‘guru’, a college Casanova at Residency. The bloke had taken upon himself the mission of bringing simpletons like him up to speed on how to swing it with girls. The chap sermoned, “Never get confused about a woman. If you feel that way with anyone, turn and run like the wind. Unless you do that, she’ll chew you alive… that is, if she’s kind; an evil one will hook you at the end of a line and play with you as you drown.
“Charge like a bull, ask, don’t be sheepish or bashful around women. If the response is ‘Yes’, very well, you’re lucky, buy movie tickets for two. If her response is ‘No’, buy a bottle of Old Monk rum from our good old Shaw & Co.—call me if you can’t handle the whole bottle alone—weep through the night. The next morning, when you’re fit, look around for new pastures.”
Manush sighed. As usual, it was easier to preach than act. He did not want to admit he had that indefinable ‘something’—adolescents would call it a ‘crush’—for Mita. But he did not have the courage to ask. If she said, ‘No, ’ he did not have the foggiest idea what he would do. So, he stuffed his feelings in a limbo jar…‘Time in a Bottle…and flew around it in circles.
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Thanks for hosting my book. Feel free to ask any questions. Look up my blogs (link above) to look up "Love in Crimson Mirage" and other analysis and background stories.
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ReplyDeletelooks like a fun one.
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ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very interesting. Love the unusual cover!
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