Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar

Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar

I have never read anything by Amina Akhtar before, but I was feeling a little spooky and this was coined as part psychological thriller, part ghost story so I thought it would fit the bill perfectly. Warning, it deals with attempted murder, suicide, the death of a parent, stalking, and some body shaming.

It follows Dunia, a pharmacist living alone in New York City, who is dealing with (or not dealing with) the death of her mother and a broken engagement. As if that weren't enough, someone tries to kill her. And then someone else tries to kill her. And then someone else tries to kill her. So things are getting intense.

This book started very quickly, the first page has someone trying to kill the main character. I thought the Dunia's response seemed very authentic and I could see myself reacting the same way, both during and after the attack. After that, things went down hill. The characters interactions with one another felt very stilted, not at all like an actual relationship or friendship. The characters didn't feel REAL, very one dimensional and I found it hard to connect with any of them, including Dunia. There were a few points in the book that surprised me, but most of it could be predicted well in advance. There's a subplot in the book dealing with Dunia's relationship with her parents and family, that was sometimes very emotional especially when told from a 5 year old Dunia that I found easy to read. And it deals with the supernatural, so if you're looking for a tidy book with a happy ending, this isn't the one for you.

All in all, I'm giving Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar 2 stars out of 5. I didn't hate it, it was a quick read with short chapters and it was easy to get through, but it didn't have any real substance and the supernatural element was the least of its issues.

Check out Amina Akhtar at her website: https://www.aminaakhtar.work/

Pairs well with a glass of white wine (my preference is Moscato) and a spicy salmon avocado roll.