The Campbell Gardens Ladies’ Swimming Class

by Vrushali Junnarkar

Winner of the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

An eclectic group of Indian women living in a condominium in Singapore are determined to learn how to swim. To accomplish this, they must challenge cultural taboos, paddle against the tide of ingrained beliefs, tread carefully past family members, and dive deep into their pooled psyche to let go of things held dear.

The Campbell Gardens Ladies’ Swimming Class goes beneath the surface to fathom what hinders these women from owning the water. It plunges into unexpected situations and encounters unusual role models who help uplift these women and make them believe that nothing is impossible.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

Published August 1, 2023

About the author

Vrushali Junnarkar is a dentist by training. When not practising, teaching or researching in dentistry, she contributes opinion pieces to women’s empowerment website womensweb and writes for the Times of India on various aspects of living abroad as an Indian. She has also been published in What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian (2022). Her first novel, The Campbell Gardens Ladies’ Swimming Class, won the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize.

Reviews

[Sim · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I didn’t like any of the main characters for most of the book. I appreciated the growth arcs they experienced in the 2nd half and towards the end though, which made me want to review the book more charitably. Also this made me want to learn how to swim, which is a nice takeaway

[Ruby Chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am surprised none of the reviews mention the offensive and uncomfortable parts of this book. First, the way these ‘expat’ wives view domestic helpers???

‘She stayed in the background, her arms, neck, back and shoulders functioning as pegs, hooks, shelves and hangers for all the assorted bits and pieces that the families had brought with them, so that Such and Harsha could remain hands-free, except for their mobiles.’
They literally described a person as a bag rack.

Secondly, the very traditional and patriarchal household Suchi is in. She’s terrified of asking her husband if she can attend swimming lessons. Even though they’re living comfortably in a condo, she is anxious while purchasing a swimsuit from FairPrice in fear of her husband complaining and rescinding his ‘permission’ for these lessons. In one of the final chapters, her husband finds out her instructor had changed to a man and he has this whole super possessive and jealous dialogue.
This remains unresolved and undeveloped even by the end.

These characters seemed complicated and complex but the story didn’t give them the arc they deserved. I wish I felt more for how swimming gave them some of their independence back. I wish it made them feel that they could gain more autonomy out of the other parts of their lives, too.

[Sanjana Preetham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an amazing read especially for an Indian woman.

I loved the characters, the topics the author had addressed in it & the banter throughout the book. Loved it💗

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways, the Campbell Gardens Ladies' Swimming Club reminded me of Balli Kaur Jaswal's Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. Just that instead of Punjabi women in London finding their voice and sense of self at a clandestine writing class, it's a group of Indian expatriate housewives living in a Singaporean condo finding their confidence and sense of self through swimming classes.

We meet Suchi, a Talegaon girl who's moved to Singapore when her husband Mandar is posted to Singapore; 38-year old Latha, a microbiology graduate turned housewife whose husband Emmandi insists she personally do all the cooking rather than leave it to their helper Julie; Gunjan, who spent her childhood and marriage living in different cities and is the most modern and independent of the women (she knows how to drive); and Radhika, who struggles with infertility. It is Radhika and Gunjan who initiate swimming lessons. They invite Suchi to bring the cost down and Suchi, to her surprise, decides to venture out of her comfort zone (and wheedle consent from Mandar).

Their swimming lessons with Jane and later Ashley (a male instructor!) expand their horizons. Gunjan gains the confidence and sense of achievement she encourages in her daughter Avni. Suchi learns to deal with getting tanned. Radhika and Gunjan start to make friends with the (non-Indian) ladies who have regular morning swims at the condo pool. Swimming offers a means for the women to break free from social conventions and expectations and the boundaries that they draw and maintain around themselves.

Although a work of fiction, the Campbell Gardens Ladies' Swimming Club provides a sympathetic treatment of new Indian immigrants in Singapore and offers some insights into the challenges they face. The women's lives revolve around their family and household duties because this is what is expected of them. They rarely venture beyond their condo save to Little India for groceries, partly because of how foreign and overwhelming Singapore is. The highlight of the day is when they gather at a bench in the condo in the evening to gossip, under the pretext of watching their children play at the playground. Being a minority community in Singapore, they stick together and gloss over their differences - North Indian vs South Indian - but they uniformly judge Nayanika, who grew up in affluent South Bombay and later moved to London, who would rather eat pasta and salad than chapatis. Meanwhile, Nayanika and her husband Tim are mystified how educated and wealthy expats like themselves are discriminated against in the rental market.

A lovely addition to Singlit.

[Sadie-Jane Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 147 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This has been on my tbr since it came out, not just because of the cover but the title too.

I read it with interest as it introduced me to the culture that I know a bit about but not enough. Some stereotypes arose but no surprise there as there were some rather traditional women featured. What initially boggled my mind was the continuous obsession that men were lecherously staring at them when most couldn't be the least bothered. However, having read about the violent rapes, I understood why, too.

The freedom some of them like Suchi craved not just from daily life but just like her friends, they craved an escape from their troubles. It was cleverly interpreted through their desire to swim. Cleverly done, too.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks @epigrambooks

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[Pa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that this debut book first stormed into the shortlist of the 2023 Epigram book prize for which the other books were from seasoned authors with many books to their name.It is to the credit of the panel of judges that TCGLSC was chosen as the best!
The standout feature of this book right through is that fiction seems like real life.Every character is portrayed very well and their idiosyncracies nicely brought out.The author has been successful in capturing the foibles of persons from different backgrounds.These have been woven into a story about learning to swim but actually it leads to each person introspecting and emerging out of their cultural shell, shyness or guilt.
Most women readers would like to identify themselves with the characters in the book and the men would start to think with a more open mi d on women empowerment and freedom.
Personally I found the book a rich source to produce a TV serial or a movie.
I only wish that this book is published and marketed worldwide at a time when very few good books are being written.This book deserves your attention!

[Tan Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This debut gives off the same light humourous vibes as Balli Kaur Jaswal's Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, though with featuring a heavy element of a Singaporean setting. The characters despite being a bit cliched and caricaturish, are extremely likeable and relatable, making the reading experience of this book a very enjoyable and fast one, 3 ½ stars rating rounded up.

[Pallavi Gopinath Aney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Completely relatable everyday characters and stories that give you a glimpse into the daily lives of a group of women, their quest to fit in, but also to be free and spread their wings. There are bits of each of the women that one can identify with and that will have you grinning, and alongside them are a host of delightful minor characters like the 70 year old swimming aunties.

[mm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coincidentally, my third book in a row delving into the female South Asian experience – an Indian migrant in the US (Zarna Gargs memoir), short stories on a South Indian Muslim community, and now the expat lives of Indian women in Singapore.

Junnarkar gives us a unique look into the lives of desi women living in Singapore condos. Their intertwined lives, their husbands, children, their interactions with other Singaporeans, and Singapore in itself, and how they grow.

I found it rather interesting though rather than a novel, I found it more like a short story cycle, an anthology of sorts. The characters were not fully fleshed out and we got vignettes more than anything. I would like to see what else Junnarkar writes after winning the Epigram Book Prize for this.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprised this won the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2023. While the overseas Indian perspective on Singapore is welcome, if not particularly insightful, this frothy novel sinks under the weight of its sloppy writing (excessive adjectives, abrupt chapter endings, weird Singlish) and predictable plot and ragged plotting. Especially for a slim book, its large group of housewives is strangely undifferentiated and unaware of their condo-bubble privilege; their self-realisations are convenient rather than earned. Swimming as escape and for growth is a likeable concept; some rigorous editing and rewrites could have produced a decent first novel.

[Tania Rook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect holiday read, this is an extremely relatable story about being caught between cultures in a foreign country. This is one of those books that gives an honest and fair snapshot into what it is like to live in Singapore under a very specific set of conditions. If you can't travel, or you can absolutely travel but you weren't born Indian, this is a perfect way to glimpse behind the curtain of what it is like to learn something new in the middle stages of your life.

[Elainn Gey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good light read that gave me (local Singaporean) a glimpse into the lives of “foreigners” and “expats” in Singapore. It’s a shame that the Singlish was a little awkward, like it was clearly written by a non-local. I just wish there was a little more sense-checking by a local. In any case, I now want to know who invented the murtabak I love if it’s not Indian???

[Arathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

funny and annoying at the same time. insufferable people learning how to swim while trying (not very hard) to get out of their shackles of body shame. unfortunately they do this by shaming other people who don't prescribe to their norms, which is unsurprising but extremely annoying. unfortunately forgettable.

[Fzzh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that the book lacked depth. Would have liked more layers to the characters so that the cultural references are more insightful. And since the expat condo world isn’t relatable to a Singaporean like me, the writing made it harder to connect. The book did make me miss swimming and aqua aerobics though.

[Leena Atawane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writer has wonderfully addressed the mind set, culture and inhibitions of South Asian women, has painstakingly evolved each character, trying to fight the inner demons and finally addressing and achieving the inner desires which often lie stifled underneath…

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

was struggling from a bit of a reading slump… but after reading this my eagerness to read has returned :)

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly delightful! As an expat myself, it was interesting to read about Indian expat wives in Singapore who bond through learning to swim.

[Jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed a "fluffy one" to distract myself from heavy stuff happening and this worked. Expat Indian housewives come into their own. Decent, light read.
Set in Singapore.

[Apollos Michio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winner of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2023, Vrushali Junnarkar’s The Campbell Gardens Ladies’ Swimming Class tells the story of a group of Indian ladies who harbour insecurities and hesitation towards swimming. 💧

Part of these feelings result from societal expectations and body image issues, which are compounded by their need to balance domestic duties as caregivers of their families. To jump into the pool and learn swimming, they need to not just overcome their fears but also ingrained beliefs and traditions. They have to be brave and willing to be uncomfortable. 🏊🏽‍♀️

Overall, the light and entertaining tone of this novel makes it fun to read, and the cultural elements add depth to it! 🇸🇬

4/5