‘Lucy and the Djinn’: A djinn story based in Kerala could use a stronger dose of fantasy

A paranormal entity trapped in an ordinary prison: this has been chewy fodder for the authors of the fantasy genre. This entity, more commonly a djinn, locked in a lamp or some such contraption, will grant wishes, usually three, in exchange for its freedom. This trope, after featuring in One Thousand and One Stories has appealed to other writers and regularly crops up in the fantasy space. A great trope to show either the roots of greed or a yearning for freedom, it has come far from the milder versions. Now, the djinn is not always friendly, nor the master, always kind.

A djinn in Kerala

The idea that those who seek revenge must dig two graves is what loosely inspires Pranoy Mathew’s debut novel Lucy and the Djinn. The story begins with a car accident where Lucy asks for her djinn’s help to save her life. Mathew then takes us back to the beginning. Lucy is suffering from heartache. After a bad breakup, she arrives at the estate of her highly influential grandfather, the head of the Palathikal family, who has, unfortunately, died. His will is going to be read after the last rites.

We come to know Lucy as shy and introverted. Mathew describes her as such: “Lucy...

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