After her acclaimed debut novel Throne of Burns, author and humanitarian Aparnaa Lathikaa returns with a haunting and profound new work — Soul of Coffin, published by Verses Kindler Publication. A deeply immersive psychological thriller, this novel is as much an emotional excavation as it is a suspense-filled journey through the unconscious.
Set in an eerie, abandoned water park, Soul of Coffin follows Alex, a man who wakes up disoriented in a world that seems drawn from the remnants of his own haunted memories. The only guide he encounters is a mysterious lifeguard — a voice at once gentle and unsettling — who nudges him into confronting the illusions and unresolved guilt he carries within.
As Alex walks through broken rides, ghostly reflections, and a towering water slide that promises final reckoning, the reader is drawn into an intricate web of suppressed trauma, metaphorical landscapes, and subconscious truths. Every twist unearths a deeper layer of Alex’s past — one that becomes harder to deny with each step forward.
Aparnaa, a psychologist by training and a human rights advocate by heart, channels her understanding of emotional trauma and repression into Alex’s fractured journey. Her writing is richly symbolic, turning every detail of the water park — from its decaying structures to the flickers of forgotten childhood — into potent metaphors for the mind’s coping mechanisms.
But Soul of Coffin is more than a psychological study. It is an atmospheric, spine-chilling experience, where the stakes are not survival in the traditional sense, but liberation from emotional imprisonment. It dares readers to ask: What are we hiding from ourselves? What guilt do we refuse to name?
Aparnaa Lathikaa brings not only literary flair but also credibility from her multifaceted background. From her early career in HR and special education to her work in counseling, life coaching, and animal communication, she has walked diverse paths — all of which inform her layered and compassionate storytelling. Her association with numerous NGOs, including People for Animals and World Vision, as well as her accolades such as the Bharat Gaurav Ratna Shri Samman and the Global Peace Award, reflect a life committed to understanding and uplifting others.
Her latest book is also a bold statement in contemporary Indian literature — a genre-bending tale that combines psychological realism, mystery, and surrealism in a voice that is uniquely her own.
For readers who loved Shutter Island or The Silent Patient, Soul of Coffin promises an equally mind-bending and emotionally rich experience. It’s a mirror and a maze, a dream and a confrontation, and above all, a reminder that the scariest ghosts often live within us.
Amazon book link: https://amzn.to/3GbeoDw
