Plentiful Springs

PANKAJ GIRI

Author: Anjaly Thomas

Publisher: Tara Press (Trade Imprint of India Research Press)

Plentiful Springs is based on the experiences of Siana as she navigates her life, hopping between Ulluru village in Karnataka, Bangalore, Mangalore, Dubai, Mulliode, and Africa. It is an interesting coming-of-age story of a woman battling adversities like childhood molestation, mental illness, and aversion to relationships.

The narration is unique because instead of regular narration, the novel uses diary entries and letters to move the plot forward. It is a refreshing style, which gripped me from the get-go and kept me intrigued throughout the book. I found the childhood phase, which almost spans half of the book, to be the best part. The exchange of letters between Siana and her childhood friends—Panna and Mashu—is innocent and heartwarming, and it is a pleasure to see them grow and learn about life. Siana is a good storyteller, and her friends are enthralled by the captivating stories she conjures about life in her farmhouse in Ulluru. There is a dark side to Siana’s diary entries, though. Her father beats her mother, and the family lives in constant fear of him. She also experiences some molestation at home, but being a child, she is unable to process it.

Things are still interesting when Siana leaves Ulluru, and she slowly loses touch with her Panna and Mashu, finds new friends, and tries to adjust to a new way of life. I loved the exchange of letters with her pen pal, Frankie. It is adorable to see her find someone who shares her interests like reading, music, and movies, and who cares so much for her. But after that, as she grows older and begins working, Siana changes. She grows arrogant and flirty, and I somehow grew detached from her slowly. At one point, she starts sleeping with multiple men at once and hurting people who care for her, and she grew unlikable enough for me to stop caring for her.

The story carries on like that, and she develops a lust for travelling (Ms. Thomas’s writing shines in this travelogue part), until the end when she begins to realize that she needs to find herself by returning to her roots. That part is also well-written—it even made me empathize with her a bit—and apart from one minor complaint about Frankie, the ending is well done.

Ms. Thomas is a skilled writer, and her language is simple and lucid with the right amount of wordplay wherever necessary. She has a penchant for penning brilliant, vivid descriptions. She especially excels during the travel diaries; it makes you feel as if you are accompanying her on the journey. The editing is also good, and I found no noticeable grammatical errors.

Overall, Plentiful Springs is a well-written, unique novel about the coming-of-age story of a woman and how the mental scars of childhood mold a person’s life. It is sensitive, dark, and thoughtful, but I wish Ms. Thomas had tweaked the protagonist’s personality. I know childhood trauma affects a person deeply, yet I found it difficult to relate to her. A more likable protagonist would have made the book more fulfilling, at least for me.