The Well

by K.S. Maniam

Susanah wants to be a track star. She is determined; she trains hard. But she doesn't do well. In fact, she collapses after one of her training sessions.

Her friends try to help her, but she won't listen to them. Desperate, they take her to Nenek. Nenek tells Susanah to wash her face with water from a special well. She does so, and soon begins to understand what has gone wrong.

52 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

K.S. Maniam, born 1942, has been writing from his early teens. His stories have appeared in numerous journals around the world. His first novel, The Return, was published in 1981 and the second, In a Far Country, in 1993. He won the first prize for The Loved Flaw: Stories from Malaysia in The New Straits Times–McDonald short-story contest (1987) and for Haunting the Tiger: Contemporary Stories from Malaysia in The New Straits Times–Shell contest (1990). He is the inaugural recipient of the Raja Rao Award (New Delhi, September 2000), for his outstanding contribution to the literature of the South Asian diaspora. He has been lecturer (1980–85) and associate professor (1986–97) in the English Department, University of Malaya, in Kuala Lumpur. He lives with his wife, son and daughter in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, and devotes his time fully to writing.

Reviews

[SyaMimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this makes me reminiscing school life. About a girl who is so determined to be better in her passion and thus over do it. Fortunately, she have friends who help to make her realised.

I love the friendship portrayal and teaches us how to be confident in whatever we do. Easy language with short sentences yet deeply enclosed with varies of values. Suitable reading for teen.