It was easily among the shortest, most interactive and intensive book launches in the recent times. Unravelling Shinie Antony's latest novel — Seance on a Sunday Afternoon, Chetan Bhagat, author of Five Point Someone  made it clear that it would not be a run-of-the-mill launch when he said: "I have never ever launched a book before. I don't know what it's like to launch a book."

But know or don't know, Chetan had a job and he had to do it. Seeking to make the occasion as interactive as possible, Chetan asked Shinie five or six questions and shot a few questions at her husband as well.

Why did Shinie choose the short story format and not a full-scale novel? "The medium is only an option. It is just that some stories read well in a short format," she replied. She drew a parallel between a housewife and a sub-editor's job: "A housewife cleans and cooks what the husband buys, a sub-editor does the same: clean a copy and serve it well."

Shinie's new book captures life in a city and the ugliness of urbanisation in its entirety. The struggles and challenges involved in everyday life form the core of the book. 

Among the characters in one of its stories is a discontented father-in-law who spends long hours with an incorrigible daughter-in-law. The story explores the relationship between the two recalcitrant souls.

Shinie has also explored the blog world where a housewife tries to connect to like-minded people through blogging. Another story titled, "Monkey darling" is about a woman suffering from breast cancer. Her breasts have been removed and she wants to give it a descent epitaph as she calls the removed breast "monkey darling".
The author admits that dark areas of life have always fascinated her. Chetan said that Shinie represents the female voice that doesn't normally come out into the open. "The book presents a positive view of the darker aspects of life such as infidelity, sexuality and loneliness," he said.