High-schoolers face their fears in gripping new horror title

The cover of the book features the teenagers and the deserted house

Horror is a tricky genre to write. "What scares me may not necessarily scare you; I'm still trying to figure my way through it," says Bengaluru-based writer
Andaleeb Wajid, whose new book Scare Walk (HarperCollins) plays with the genre of horror fiction. "I've been writing across different genres for the last 15 years. I've worked with romance for young adults a lot but I didn't want to be boxed under one category. I wanted to challenge myself," she adds. Having written prolifically, Wajid decided to look at the possibilities within horror a little closely and use the opportunity to create something new. "You have to stay one step ahead of your readers, always."

The protagonists discover a pamphlet to the Scare Walk

Upamanyu Bhattacharyya's illustrations catch the eye immediately. Originally written as a novel, the book was turned into a format of a graphic novel only later, as it seemed like the most ideal format for the narrative. Scare Walk delves on the anxieties of four high-school students, who decide to indulge in one fun adventure before their board exams. Fear is at the centre of the narrative, highlighted by Bhattacharyya's use of dark, intimidating backgrounds. The location of the walk in a house at the end of a deserted road helps. Readers sense trepidation from the moment the protagonists are shown to have driven to the outskirts of the city, leaving the traffic and noise of Bengaluru behind; phone signals break off and online maps are lost. While it isn't seen as much at the beginning, the graph of fear in the teens rises as they walk further inside. The creators portray this well through swathes of silences and sparse conversations, followed by urgent moments of panic.

Andaleeb Wajid

Darkness creates scope for shaky vision and drama. The illustration-text format also allows for a freedom in exploring heightened emotions, which works well in psychological horror. Throughout the narrative, following the journey of the protagonists as their amorphous nightmares come alive during the Scare Walk, Wajid asks: ‘Where can fear take you?' Having teenagers go on a quest like this was important for Wajid. "Writing a book with young adults lends a kind of vulnerability to the protagonists. Somehow, adults find a way to rationalise everything or find a way to get out of situations. Adults are expected to have all the answers, although we don't. But there's a perception that if an adult joins you, say on a hike, there's immediately a kind of relief. I didn't want to give the protagonists that option," she reveals.

A panel shows the dingy welcome room of the house

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Upamanyu Bhattacharyya