The Stranger and Other Stories’ is a compilation of 16 exciting, action-packed, short stories. Each having a surprise turn of events at the end. ’The Stranger’ is hilarious with a witty conclusion. ‘An Errand for Thelma’ is touching, revolving around a lass and an old lady. ‘Fifty-Fifty’ is a laugh-riot about a botched burglary. And ‘Hide and Seek’, set in the ad world, is a romance with dashes of tragedy. ‘Shuddering Sky’ is scary. ‘Bangles for Prema’ too, is scary. ’The Watch’ is a soulful story about a watch which belongs to a ghost. ‘The Sportsman’, ’The Horse Cart’, and ‘The Dry Land’, are quite engaging in their content and narrative, while ‘Donor’ is a story about a beleaguered widow mustering the gall to do the square thing by her benefactor. ‘Lalitha’ is about being possessed, and it is sure to send a shiver down your spine. Reading ‘The Sage’ will be an experience in itself. ‘Portrait for Sale’ is about romance in a college, while ‘Haven for Crooks’ and ‘The Cook’s Leg’ are, respectively, witty stories of the stupidity of life in a military school, and a blunder which can never be set right. The stories are diverse in their plots and presentation, and make for a thrilling Sunday afternoon’s edge-of-the-seat adventure.