#Review: Candle in the Wind by Sharmishtha Shenoy

Candle in the Wind is not a comfortable read—and rightly so. Sharmishtha Shenoy, known for her work in crime fiction, delivers a gut-wrenching anthology that exposes the brutal, often silenced realities of crimes against women and young girls in India. Inspired by true incidents, each story pierces through the illusion of safety, revealing a society where patriarchy, privilege, and apathy breed unimaginable horrors.

The narratives are stark and unflinching: a six-year-old child assaulted by a trusted adult, a gifted orphan betrayed by the very system that promised her protection, a young woman stalked and murdered, and a desperate wife manipulated by her circumstances into moral collapse. These are not just stories; they are echoes of lived pain and institutional failure.

Yet, amidst this darkness, there shines a sliver of hope in the form of ADGP Shikha Goel—a real-life IPS officer whose courage and empathy act as the book’s moral spine. Her presence is not just reassuring but empowering, reminding readers that justice is possible, but it demands persistence and systemic change.

Unapologetically raw and emotionally resonant, Candle in the Wind is a literary call to action. It doesn’t just demand your attention—it demands your outrage. A vital, necessary read.

Find the book here.