Dewana by Sabahat Khan

About this novel

Dewana (Urdu: دیوانہ) by Sabahat Khan is a romantic Urdu novel with a mysterious, almost supernatural edge to its love story. It opens on a pitch-black night, with a girl driving alone down a forest road while strange sounds come from the trees.

She is so lost in her thoughts that she hardly notices the road. Then comes a bang, and she brakes hard, her heart racing. One of her tyres has burst. She is alone in the dark, the spare tyre is missing from the boot, and her phone is switched off. She left home on her own this late, and now she is stuck. Sweat breaks out on her forehead.

اندھیری رات، سنسان جنگل — اور ایک سرگوشی: “ہنی، ڈرو نہیں۔”

Then the wind rises. Leaves rattle, the car door slams shut and won’t open however hard she pulls, and she feels someone standing behind her. Her breath quickens; she recites Durood Sharif, afraid that if she turns round she’ll be turned to stone. Then, very softly, a voice speaks right by her ear: “Honey… don’t be afraid.” When she finally turns, trembling, there is no one there. The wind blows her hair across her face, and suddenly she feels herself lifted lovingly in someone’s arms. The car door opens on its own, and something gently places her inside.

Sabahat Khan mixes romance with mystery and fear, and the opening leaves you wondering who, or what, is so devoted to Honey. The title, “Dewana”, hints at a love that has crossed every normal limit.

You can read Dewana online here or download the complete PDF for free. The story was also posted in parts, starting with Dewana Episode 1. See all Sabahat Khan novels, or browse our Horror and mystery novels.