#428 - The Enchanted Cottage

by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Sucharita Sengupta Suri

“The Enchanted Cottage” by Ruskin Bond and illustrated by Sucharita Sengupta Suri. Published by Harper Collins. A hauntingly beautiful tale crafted by the master storyteller of strange happenings around an old cottage near a forest.

The story is narrated by the writer himself in first person. The year is 1975 and he finds himself at the door of a little cottage near the forest which he has rented for a year. He is looking to spend the summer there in solitude so that he can write a book or some books. As he starts getting familiar with the forest and the creatures who are his only neighbours and gets into a routine of sorts, odd things start happening to him.

At first, he brushes them off and doesn’t even realise the significance of some of them. He starts getting a weird dream every now and then. There is something about the cottage that he doesn’t know. There is a feeling for what has happened in the past or a feeling of the past itself as though something sad took place there which had stamped its mark on the place. The atmosphere is quite unnerving as the days progress. Read the compelling story to experience the magic of drama, mystery and a dash of the supernatural which have been expertly mixed to create a delightful experience that will take one on an armchair trip to the enchanted cottage and the nearby forest.

My nine year old and I relished the entire book from cover to cover. There was an exquisiteness about the whole experience of reading the book. It did keep us at the edge of our seats but we knew that it wasn’t a scary one. Yet it was magical and the illustrations were fabulous. Some spreads were just breathtaking! The story has a haunting nature but a mellow one. My son had been after me to get him the book ever since it released. I felt it was for slightly older readers and kept putting him off. Being an ardent fan of Mr. Bond just like us, he didn’t relent. I finally gifted it to him for his ninth birthday which was last month. Today (the date I publish this post) is Mr Bond’s birthday and we read it just before his birthday! Though he may not have gotten some bits of the story entirely, I could see my son savouring the plot with a glint in his eyes and wondering what would happen next. I am sure the book will be picked up for reading many times over the years and the different layers will unfold out to him as he grows. The book is a collector’s delight for sure. It is a unique crossover picture book.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for anyone aged 12/13 and above for self reading. It can be read to a slightly younger child like we did if they are keen to read it :)

Reasons to Read

Fans of Mr. Bond need no reason to pick up this book :) For the rest, this is such a beautiful book that will evoke a multitude of feelings such as a nostalgic remembrance of the past, a sense of loss and longing, curiosity to unravel the mysterious occurrences, appreciation of the beauty of nature and an experience of the supernatural.