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Book Review: Susanna's Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond

Susanna's Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond shot into fame when the movie ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’ featuring Priyanka Chopra hit the box office. It is said that the movie was inspired by this five-page short story. Well, it is, but if you read the story and see the movie you will feel the difference as well as like the short story over the movie.


The narrator watches a big mansion in ruin, with a tomb inside it. He was a kid since then he has been seeing it like that only. On the tomb stated the generosity of the interred lady who donated and done for orphanages, churches, etc. He wants to know about the mansion and the tomb where no one goes, and tall wild grass, shrubs, and trees have obscured the pathways intensely. In the neighborhood lives a furniture maker, Naushad. His father used to make and supply furniture for the people living in the mansion. Upon asking, Naushad reveals that the tomb is of a famous lady Susanna, who was known for having seven husbands in one life. He insists to know more about her.

Susanna was an English lady with big estates and rumored treasure inherited from her parents. She was living in a big mansion in South Delhi during the British Raj era. She was known for her wealth. Many men wanted to marry her for wealth. But she was a ruthless lady and extraordinarily beautiful, falling in love with her was easy than said. She married seven times and strange enough none of the husbands lived longer to enjoy her wealth. People say that she killed all her seven husbands but there was hardly proof of that. Also she died a good death after living a long good life. So, she was beyond a doubt.

Her husbands ranged from a drunkard to city magistrate and many in between. Their deaths were quite tragic in nature. The doctor was bitten by the cobra in the bedroom, the magistrate was killed by brigands, and the drunkard died of over drinking. She was very humane, she didn’t like suffering. So, she got rid of all of her husbands in a very smooth way. Moreover, she had a staff of servants, the loyal ones who would follow her blindly. No one could ever gather evidence against her that she was the person behind killing those seven men who wanted to acquire her wealth just by marrying her. It was never an easy task.

Also a white man entered her mansion following her death to find the hidden treasure but he never came out, people say that the mansion is guarded by her ghost and snakes. It is said that even today a horse with a carriage saunters up and down that road in the darkness of the night and a white lady stops for a while to chat with a stranger.

Though short, totally engrossing, written in Ruskin’s inimitable style. It is fun to read with all elements of mystery and horror in it.
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