17-year-old Samuel Gerson befriends Dmitri, an enigmatic Russian immigrant obsessed with Dostoevsky. Their friendship, combined with Samuel’s grandfather’s suicide, leads to a cycle of disturbing violence.

Follows a protagonist struggling with his inner demons and physical desires.

The book caused a significant stir in India and was even charged with obscenity in Mumbai upon its release. Daniel Torday: A Coming-of-Age Novella

This 1999 novella by the celebrated Anglo-Indian author Ruskin Bond is a departure from his usual gentle, nature-focused stories. It is a bold and "brutal" exploration of a man's descent into self-destruction, driven by his own libido.

It examines the collision between inherited culture and the world adolescents create for themselves. Barbara Hodgson: An Illustrated Mystery