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WHEN WILL YOU DIE? a socio psychological novella
Disarmingly, charmingly simple, this book will give readers much to think about. - Usha Nagasamy, Further Education teacher, London When will you die?- an emotion in itself that many of us avoid and fear comes out as a beautiful literary rendition by Jayanthi Sankar and will stay a mystery and an enigma years after its time and haunt our hidden traumas, insecurities in ways we could never imagine. - Sredhanea Ramkrishnan, Food technologist and upcoming author, India Zooming in like a camera to explore the aspects of the human psyche at various levels across the vast framework of society at large, the brevity of this postmodern socio psychological novella fascinates me. - Ethan Wynn, FinTech Analyst, Houston, USA Jayanthi Sankar skillfully depicts human complexities with quite a few nuanced surprises in store in the epistolary novella When Will You Die? It leaves the reader reflecting on the toll relationships can take on humans, what it is to live after losing your moorings, and what it means to be torn apart by affection and hate. - Dr. Revathy Sivasubramaniam, UX Researcher, Chennai, India Another fresh work of fiction and storytelling with profound ideas that will intrigue many readers, as it did me. Left with countless lingering thoughts and debates, I haven't been able to come out of it. - Liu Fang, Further Education teacher, Hong Kong The main characters in the novella for their own reasons do not share significant incidents of their lives and this effectively depicts the shallowness of modern day, contemporary relationships. - P. Muralidharan, Writer, Chennai, India
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First published November 10, 2022
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9 people want to read
About the author
Jayanthi Sankar
12 books9 followersA lover of fiction, both in writing and reading, Jayanthi Sankar enjoys expanding the scope of her creative space. While living in her fictional world most of the time, she interacts with the characters as they form and shape. So, naturally, writing a novel is more of lively process she truly loves and she’s all into experimenting, especially in her storytelling.
Tabula Rasa her third book, and the second novel was a 2022 NYC Big Book Award ‘Distinguished Favourite’ in the category of Historical Fiction and an ‘honourable mention’ in San Francisco book fest award 2022. She has been in several international panels of literary festivals such as APWT 2018 at Gold coast, Singapore Writers Festival, Seemanchal International Literary festival, Asean- India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Writers Festival. Misplaced Heads, was on the Eyelands Book Awards 2020 final list of historical fiction in Greece, making its mark as an outstanding postmodern historical fiction.
The winner in fiction: short story in 2020 International Book Award -American book fest ‘Dangling Gandhi’ also won the international The Literary Titan award apart from several shortlists and nominations. The title story Dangling Gandhi shortlisted in the 2nd Twist & Twain International Short Story Contest out of the 165 worldwide entries. A watercolour hobbyist, she has been a freelancer for more than two decades, with three years of experience in journalism. Born and brought up in India, she lives in Singapore since 1990.
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January 20, 2023
When Will You Die by Jayanthi Sankar is a socio-psychological drama that revolves around the lives of a brother-sister duo, Susan and Joe. The two share their moms but happen to have different fathers. Their destinies bring them together to create family drama and conflicting interpersonal relationships.
Susan is a Goan who lost her mother during Joe's birth. Soon after, she assumes the role of a foster mother to Joe barely at an age of 12. In the meantime, she makes a pen pal Suiyi from Singapore and gradually finds a sense of companionship with him due to shared lived experiences. Suiyi convinces Susan to move to Singapore, leaving behind her family, with the promise of offering better living conditions. The book, thereafter, explores the shift in the dynamics of relationships.
In this masterfully woven plot, several subplots run parallel to each other and yet are closely linked to each other. The story attempts to portray various shades of complex relationships and how each one of them leads to another thing. I liked the set-up of the story and its narrative. Also, the way it brings out emphasis on mental well-being is appreciable. Though the ending on a cliffhanger left me craving for something more!
This is Sankar's fourth book but the first one for me and I am impressed with her world-building and storytelling. For the most part, I couldn't really figure out where the story was heading but for a change, I enjoyed reading this drama. Yes, it is a psychological roller coaster and a fine one at that. One who enjoys this genre would end up liking When Will You Die? For all the riveting twists and turns!
Susan is a Goan who lost her mother during Joe's birth. Soon after, she assumes the role of a foster mother to Joe barely at an age of 12. In the meantime, she makes a pen pal Suiyi from Singapore and gradually finds a sense of companionship with him due to shared lived experiences. Suiyi convinces Susan to move to Singapore, leaving behind her family, with the promise of offering better living conditions. The book, thereafter, explores the shift in the dynamics of relationships.
In this masterfully woven plot, several subplots run parallel to each other and yet are closely linked to each other. The story attempts to portray various shades of complex relationships and how each one of them leads to another thing. I liked the set-up of the story and its narrative. Also, the way it brings out emphasis on mental well-being is appreciable. Though the ending on a cliffhanger left me craving for something more!
This is Sankar's fourth book but the first one for me and I am impressed with her world-building and storytelling. For the most part, I couldn't really figure out where the story was heading but for a change, I enjoyed reading this drama. Yes, it is a psychological roller coaster and a fine one at that. One who enjoys this genre would end up liking When Will You Die? For all the riveting twists and turns!
May 27, 2023
Susan lives in Goa with her grandmother and brother, Joe. Susan's mother died giving birth to Joe and her father left the house after getting an inkling about his wife's affair.
Suiyi and Xinyi are non-identical twins living in Singapore. Suiyi is not fond of his stepmother and her kids. Suiyi whose mother died in a car accident had to live under the same roof with his father and his wife.
Susan and Suiyi bond over their almost similar circumstances and soon this companionship culminates in marriage. But strange occurrences happen and Susan is oblivious to them. People around her are withholding dark secrets.
The story is set mainly in exotic locales of Singapore and a small town in Goa. The plot unravels through letters and emails exchanged between the main characters. The unsent emails esconsced lot of unsaid things. The leaked roof housed many secrets. The scene in which Suiyi made Joseph stand on a wooden table pretending to hit him with a bamboo sheath sent me shivers and made me speculate that the former was capable of committing something unthinkable.
Susan was portrayed to be someone who didn't have an inkling of what was happening around her and was a persona of walking-talking internalised sexism.
The numerous sub-plots weren't coherently stitched together. I couldn't imagine some of the characters particularly Suiyi because of the bleak character sketch. The timeline wasn't clear to comprehend the turn of events. New characters were introduced abruptly without any backstory to ably support them.
'When Will You Die?' delves into the psyche of the human mind which is heavily influenced by social settings.
Suiyi and Xinyi are non-identical twins living in Singapore. Suiyi is not fond of his stepmother and her kids. Suiyi whose mother died in a car accident had to live under the same roof with his father and his wife.
Susan and Suiyi bond over their almost similar circumstances and soon this companionship culminates in marriage. But strange occurrences happen and Susan is oblivious to them. People around her are withholding dark secrets.
The story is set mainly in exotic locales of Singapore and a small town in Goa. The plot unravels through letters and emails exchanged between the main characters. The unsent emails esconsced lot of unsaid things. The leaked roof housed many secrets. The scene in which Suiyi made Joseph stand on a wooden table pretending to hit him with a bamboo sheath sent me shivers and made me speculate that the former was capable of committing something unthinkable.
Susan was portrayed to be someone who didn't have an inkling of what was happening around her and was a persona of walking-talking internalised sexism.
The numerous sub-plots weren't coherently stitched together. I couldn't imagine some of the characters particularly Suiyi because of the bleak character sketch. The timeline wasn't clear to comprehend the turn of events. New characters were introduced abruptly without any backstory to ably support them.
'When Will You Die?' delves into the psyche of the human mind which is heavily influenced by social settings.
January 29, 2023
When Will You Die? by Jayanti Sankar follows Susan, who takes care of her brother Joe after the death of her mother. She shares her life with her penpal Suiyi from Singapore. They connect throughout their turbulent lives and form a strong bond. Susan wishes to leave for Singapore to be closer to Suiyi, taking their life forward and living a better life. Will Susan take this decision? What will happen to Susan and her brother Joe after the move?
The author has narrated an emotionally enriched story giving light to mental health and familial issues in a refreshing way. This book, though called a novella, has a different pacing throughout. Starting strongly with great narration of Susan and her life in Goa, it moves at a choppy pace with time jumps that felt detached. The short chapters were perfect for this book. The different notes shared between Suiyi and Susan were the highlight of the storyline. It was interesting to read those sections.
The characters are written in a raw and candid manner with flaws and flairs. These kinds of books are truer than any that the readers can't help but root for. I, for one, was hoping for a bright ending after all the twists and turns. But there was a cliffhanger that was intriguing and made me wish for more. This book is a good recommendation for readers looking for a story with simple characters and a complex emotional plot.
The author has narrated an emotionally enriched story giving light to mental health and familial issues in a refreshing way. This book, though called a novella, has a different pacing throughout. Starting strongly with great narration of Susan and her life in Goa, it moves at a choppy pace with time jumps that felt detached. The short chapters were perfect for this book. The different notes shared between Suiyi and Susan were the highlight of the storyline. It was interesting to read those sections.
The characters are written in a raw and candid manner with flaws and flairs. These kinds of books are truer than any that the readers can't help but root for. I, for one, was hoping for a bright ending after all the twists and turns. But there was a cliffhanger that was intriguing and made me wish for more. This book is a good recommendation for readers looking for a story with simple characters and a complex emotional plot.
July 7, 2023
When Will You Die follows the life of Susan, who grows up living with her grandmother after her parents’ separate. When her mother dies shortly after giving birth to her half-brother Joseph, Susan brings him up. She confides in and pours her heart out to Suiyi, her pen pal. Suiyi has a similar fate to that of Susan; his parents have separated and his mother has died in a car crash shortly after. Suiyi visits India and meets Susan, asking her for lifelong companionship and with the promise of a better life with him in Singapore. Susan agrees, much to her Nanimaa’s dismay, who believes that Susan will henceforth abandon her country and people to live elsewhere. Joseph grows frantic when he learns that his sister, who he has grown up believing as only his, will live away from him. He grows jealous of Suiyi and at a tender age of eleven, unconsciously vows to see him dead. What follows is a mismatched mix of several subplots featuring themes of emotions, psychosis, family, self-harm and bitter revelations.
I have mixed feelings for the book. On one hand there is Jayanthi Sankar’s incredible grip on vocabulary while on the other hand there are the poorly woven plots. No I did not like the book overall but some portions did make me smile to myself and made me say, ‘well this is the reality’ quietly to myself.
Frequently moving from one narrative to another, themes of death, hallucination and a cliffhanger in the end alone does not make a good socio-psychological novella. One or a set of well written plots that make sense adds to the quality.
I have mixed feelings for the book. On one hand there is Jayanthi Sankar’s incredible grip on vocabulary while on the other hand there are the poorly woven plots. No I did not like the book overall but some portions did make me smile to myself and made me say, ‘well this is the reality’ quietly to myself.
Frequently moving from one narrative to another, themes of death, hallucination and a cliffhanger in the end alone does not make a good socio-psychological novella. One or a set of well written plots that make sense adds to the quality.
January 29, 2023
This novella by Jayanthi Sankar, presents a socio psychological thriller by delving deeper into the emotions and gripping relationships. The story takes us on a journey of Susan, Joe (her half brother) and their grandmother who have different perspectives on life. After the death of her mother, Susan adopts the role to foster her brother at the age of twelve. She finds refuge in friendship with her pen pal Suiyi and years later relocates to Singapore and marries Suiyi while trying to establish her own identity. Joe on the other hand, who heavily depends on Susan, emotionally, makes everyone uncomfortable and with his emotional turmoil. The book is about how we carry the baggage of past and meander through dilemmas to deal with present.
I found the narration quite intriguing and got engrossed in the book from the very beginning. I also liked the writing style of the sub plots and especially how the characters were built. These characters were relatable and well portrayed. This book explores love between the siblings along with the hardships of taking responsibility when your mother passes away at an early age.
Writing is fresh and keeps the reader hooked. Special mention to how delicately the issues with mental health and emotional trauma were handled in the book. The topic is not easy to write about and we often see how misrepresented it is in the bestsellers. However, there were times that I felt a little disconnected with the story, mainly due to leap in the timeline. But overall, it is a good read.
The book is not long and keeps you engrossed. Language is simple and thus makes it accessible to a wider readership. Author has done justice to the story and the cliffhanger adds to the overall experience.
I found the narration quite intriguing and got engrossed in the book from the very beginning. I also liked the writing style of the sub plots and especially how the characters were built. These characters were relatable and well portrayed. This book explores love between the siblings along with the hardships of taking responsibility when your mother passes away at an early age.
Writing is fresh and keeps the reader hooked. Special mention to how delicately the issues with mental health and emotional trauma were handled in the book. The topic is not easy to write about and we often see how misrepresented it is in the bestsellers. However, there were times that I felt a little disconnected with the story, mainly due to leap in the timeline. But overall, it is a good read.
The book is not long and keeps you engrossed. Language is simple and thus makes it accessible to a wider readership. Author has done justice to the story and the cliffhanger adds to the overall experience.
February 1, 2023
The book explores the various relationships and their strains that come in Susan's life where on one hand she travels to Singapore and marries Suiyi in search of better opportunities and on the other hand there is Joe her brother who is being raised by her Nanima who doesn't think too highly of Susan's life decisions and when it comes to taking care of her brother.
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The book further talks about secrets and lies that one discovers about their family members and sees the amalgamation and intimacy of these relationships through the prism of socio- psychological perspective.
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Years fly by and we see Susan living a turmoil relationship with her husband Suiyi who too brings many secrets with him.
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There is between the lines narrative by the author that has always made me a fan of her works. She doesn't serve every scenario in the narrative yet one is made familiar with the circumstances that fall upon the equation of Susan with her family back in India and the tough and struggling life Susan has in Singapore.
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After Tabula Rasa, this novella contains emotions and is a heart wrenching tale of families, brothers and sisters and the haunting past that makes this book a necessary read to be able to understand the dynamics the storyline brings to the table.
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I definitely recommend this book and as it's a Novella, it's something you can definitely start your year with.
.
The book further talks about secrets and lies that one discovers about their family members and sees the amalgamation and intimacy of these relationships through the prism of socio- psychological perspective.
.
Years fly by and we see Susan living a turmoil relationship with her husband Suiyi who too brings many secrets with him.
.
There is between the lines narrative by the author that has always made me a fan of her works. She doesn't serve every scenario in the narrative yet one is made familiar with the circumstances that fall upon the equation of Susan with her family back in India and the tough and struggling life Susan has in Singapore.
.
After Tabula Rasa, this novella contains emotions and is a heart wrenching tale of families, brothers and sisters and the haunting past that makes this book a necessary read to be able to understand the dynamics the storyline brings to the table.
.
I definitely recommend this book and as it's a Novella, it's something you can definitely start your year with.
February 4, 2023
This socio-psychological novella follows the lives of Susan and her half-brother, Jo. Susan lives with her Nani after losing her parents with the responsibility of raising Jo as her own. She loves him as her whole world and is no lesser than a mother to Jo. Susan marries her pen pal, Suiyi and settles in Singapore against her Nani's wishes, and that's when things start changing in their lives. Jo's quirkiness turns annoying and makes everyone's life uneasy. Susan loves her brother and so cannot let go of him. But she must make sure things are taken care of.
This story started great for me, and I enjoyed the description of the lives of the main leads in Goa and Singapore. The novella had an exciting way of conveying domestic fiction with its intriguing writing.
I loved the sibling bond between Susan and Jo and her relationship with her Nani. It's a story of every firstborn female who is always expected to give and love more than what they receive, yet they do it effortlessly.
The concept of penpals and the shift from handwritten letters to emails between Susan and Suiyi were nostalgic. The mental health subplot was so well-written and easily relatable.
Having spoken about the things I liked in the book, I also have to discuss my disappointments. Yes, firstly, I did expect a twisted psychological thriller based on its cover and title. But the book is way different. I would have loved the book if it had been represented appropriately.
The sudden timeline shift and a leap of almost 10 years in each chapter made it difficult for me to relate to the story. I felt every woman in the story had a similar past with an estranged husband and a sob story to tell.
Though I am yet to come across someone who did not love this book, it fell a little short for me, and I was unfortunately let down.
This story started great for me, and I enjoyed the description of the lives of the main leads in Goa and Singapore. The novella had an exciting way of conveying domestic fiction with its intriguing writing.
I loved the sibling bond between Susan and Jo and her relationship with her Nani. It's a story of every firstborn female who is always expected to give and love more than what they receive, yet they do it effortlessly.
The concept of penpals and the shift from handwritten letters to emails between Susan and Suiyi were nostalgic. The mental health subplot was so well-written and easily relatable.
Having spoken about the things I liked in the book, I also have to discuss my disappointments. Yes, firstly, I did expect a twisted psychological thriller based on its cover and title. But the book is way different. I would have loved the book if it had been represented appropriately.
The sudden timeline shift and a leap of almost 10 years in each chapter made it difficult for me to relate to the story. I felt every woman in the story had a similar past with an estranged husband and a sob story to tell.
Though I am yet to come across someone who did not love this book, it fell a little short for me, and I was unfortunately let down.
July 15, 2023
Susan and her damaged family are at the centre of the narrative. During their formative years, Susan and her stepbrother Joe developed a close bond. When Susan's mother passed away while giving birth to Joe, she was left with only her grandmother and Joe to call family. Susan found solace while writing to her pen pal, Suiyi, who lives in Singapore and comes from a broken family similar to Susan's. Suiyi lives with his sister, father, and stepmother after his mother died in a car accident. Susan goes to Singapore with the help of Suiyi to get a job that would help her fulfil Joe's and her grandmother's dreams. Susan ends up marrying Suiyi against her Grandmother's will. Things start to go wrong after that because Susan's family hates Suiyi.
Many of Susan's loved ones' secrets are revealed through subplots. The story takes an emotional turn, and family dynamics start to change, making the story more interesting as more characters are introduced and secrets are revealed. I loved the author's writing, and her experience is quite evident in the writing.
However, I didn't understand how few characters contributed to the storyline, and I thought the stories were loosely connected. I had trouble placing the turn of events in the timeline's proper setting.
Many of Susan's loved ones' secrets are revealed through subplots. The story takes an emotional turn, and family dynamics start to change, making the story more interesting as more characters are introduced and secrets are revealed. I loved the author's writing, and her experience is quite evident in the writing.
However, I didn't understand how few characters contributed to the storyline, and I thought the stories were loosely connected. I had trouble placing the turn of events in the timeline's proper setting.
March 4, 2023
I dedicate this read to my very close but a stranger friend @
..
Book: When will you die
Author: Jayanthi Sankar
Genre: socio psychological fiction
..
My Rating: 5/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
..
Just finished reading this masterpiece by Jayanthi Sankar. It is a true satisfaction.
It is such a fine, detailed, mature and simply written book.
Author worked on simplest details like e-mails, WhatsApp.
Timing in this book is just perfect.
Author poured her heart out on pages.
Author tried to avoid bookish things making it to connect with hearts.
To be very honest at so many points I could connect and almost cried. I don't know if I'm very much sensitive else it is because of author's words.
These are the books we need. Big big thanks to author for writing this beautiful book.
Story revolves around a girl on which the volcano of responsibility exploded and a friend with whom she has never met. Their communication is via technology only. Story is about these two people, their lives, their emotions... all about their journey.
Story moves with to and from between past and present. I love the end of book. Flow of book is so neat.
I love the concept of letter to creator where unfiltered and uncultured emotions are written.
It was a roller coaster of emotions for me.
I'm a fast reader still this book took a long time for me to read. It left a deep impact on me.
..
Book: When will you die
Author: Jayanthi Sankar
Genre: socio psychological fiction
..
My Rating: 5/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
..
Just finished reading this masterpiece by Jayanthi Sankar. It is a true satisfaction.
It is such a fine, detailed, mature and simply written book.
Author worked on simplest details like e-mails, WhatsApp.
Timing in this book is just perfect.
Author poured her heart out on pages.
Author tried to avoid bookish things making it to connect with hearts.
To be very honest at so many points I could connect and almost cried. I don't know if I'm very much sensitive else it is because of author's words.
These are the books we need. Big big thanks to author for writing this beautiful book.
Story revolves around a girl on which the volcano of responsibility exploded and a friend with whom she has never met. Their communication is via technology only. Story is about these two people, their lives, their emotions... all about their journey.
Story moves with to and from between past and present. I love the end of book. Flow of book is so neat.
I love the concept of letter to creator where unfiltered and uncultured emotions are written.
It was a roller coaster of emotions for me.
I'm a fast reader still this book took a long time for me to read. It left a deep impact on me.
January 5, 2023
Book: When will you die?
Author: Jayanthi Sarkar
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Cover: Straight forward and I personally found it a bit chilling but in a good way.
Plot: Susan is from Goa and Suiyi is an immigrant from Singapore. Both are of similar age so they open up to each other. As the story evolves we get to see separate psychological family dramas, also there are many stories in this story. The story ends with a cliffhanger.
Characters: Many are there and all are described well. I liked Suiyi though.
Language: Written in colloquial language English, the author had kept the chapters shorts and had chosen tactical words for everyone. The narration style had done magic.
Final Verdict: Before I even start, I'd really like to know, is it truly inspired by real life events? The story felt real. Maybe because of the narration. The chapters were short and gripping and every chapter had something new to offer. Great and amazing first read of the year.
Author: Jayanthi Sarkar
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Cover: Straight forward and I personally found it a bit chilling but in a good way.
Plot: Susan is from Goa and Suiyi is an immigrant from Singapore. Both are of similar age so they open up to each other. As the story evolves we get to see separate psychological family dramas, also there are many stories in this story. The story ends with a cliffhanger.
Characters: Many are there and all are described well. I liked Suiyi though.
Language: Written in colloquial language English, the author had kept the chapters shorts and had chosen tactical words for everyone. The narration style had done magic.
Final Verdict: Before I even start, I'd really like to know, is it truly inspired by real life events? The story felt real. Maybe because of the narration. The chapters were short and gripping and every chapter had something new to offer. Great and amazing first read of the year.
January 26, 2023
3.5/5
When someone asked me how I was feeling about this book, my answer wasn't a statement but rather the verse of a song, "Tuta Tuta Ek Parinda Ayse Tuta, K Phir Jud Na Paaya."
A bird with broken wings, trying and struggling so hard to fly off to better days but failing and hurting again and again That's our protagonist, Susan.
We discover about her life and its miseries from her letters to a penpal, Suiyi. While both of them struggle to keep their sanity as both of their families are falling apart, they hold on to one another.
Soon comes into the picture, lill Joe. An absolutely adorable brother of Susan who ends up becoming the whole world for Susan (quite literally).
As life goes on and we follow taking up new journeys and going to places to get better off for her family, the happiness crumbles in her mouth every time she thinks that things are finally going to get better.
At a point, even you might wanna give up, as a reader and might think "that's enough" but Susan struggles through.
The moments of happiness vanish even before you can feel it on your skin. So, this Socio-Pychological novella is definitely not going to be a "feel-good-book" for y'all.
If you have loved the works of Kafka, Murakami and Dostoyevsky, there are high chances that you might enjoy this read as well.
The reason why it missed being a 4-star read for me, was because of the flat emotional graph it kept me on. I had the same feeling of despair throughout the book with no ups or down, otherwise, in some unique and monotonous way, it did something not a lot of books can do.
When someone asked me how I was feeling about this book, my answer wasn't a statement but rather the verse of a song, "Tuta Tuta Ek Parinda Ayse Tuta, K Phir Jud Na Paaya."
A bird with broken wings, trying and struggling so hard to fly off to better days but failing and hurting again and again That's our protagonist, Susan.
We discover about her life and its miseries from her letters to a penpal, Suiyi. While both of them struggle to keep their sanity as both of their families are falling apart, they hold on to one another.
Soon comes into the picture, lill Joe. An absolutely adorable brother of Susan who ends up becoming the whole world for Susan (quite literally).
As life goes on and we follow taking up new journeys and going to places to get better off for her family, the happiness crumbles in her mouth every time she thinks that things are finally going to get better.
At a point, even you might wanna give up, as a reader and might think "that's enough" but Susan struggles through.
The moments of happiness vanish even before you can feel it on your skin. So, this Socio-Pychological novella is definitely not going to be a "feel-good-book" for y'all.
If you have loved the works of Kafka, Murakami and Dostoyevsky, there are high chances that you might enjoy this read as well.
The reason why it missed being a 4-star read for me, was because of the flat emotional graph it kept me on. I had the same feeling of despair throughout the book with no ups or down, otherwise, in some unique and monotonous way, it did something not a lot of books can do.
May 2, 2023
When Will You Die? is a story about two half-siblings, Joe and Susan. Susan finds a penpal in Singapore, and she continues talking to Suiyi. Coming from a rough parenting background, both get close to one another. Talking more about the book would spoil quite a lot of things; hence, I would refrain from doing so.
The story has a vast timeline, from the late 1970s to the mid-2010s. It begins with Susan as a preteen and concludes with the female main character as a middle-aged woman. Several subplots run throughout the book that may or may not be linked to the main story. The writing was simple, and the plot had wild potential.
For me, both the writing and the plot were a miss. The reason being, I had expected the writing to not be... so simple and sadly lacking in emotions. The plot, which had mad potential, was left unattended in places for the book to retain the term novella. The subplots were randomly and strategically placed, in my opinion, so as to make the subplots vague but helpful in providing insight into the characters.
The characters, too, lacked depth, in my opinion. Maybe it was the author's agenda with respect to the genre that she focused on, or maybe it was me, or probably something else. Another concern for me was the grammar, which felt off in many places. In addition to this, I couldn't see the point of censoring words like bitch or fuck in a manner that broke the flow of the text abruptly.
Sadly, Jayanthi Sankar's When Will You Die? wasn't my cup of tea. For me, the lack of emotions in the text and the execution of the plot was why I gave it the rating mentioned above, and not a five on five. That doesn't mean in any way that I am stopping you guys from giving it a try. One man's elaichi in biryani could be another guy's elaichi in tea. If you're interested in this, I would say that you should probably try the Kindle sample first.
The story has a vast timeline, from the late 1970s to the mid-2010s. It begins with Susan as a preteen and concludes with the female main character as a middle-aged woman. Several subplots run throughout the book that may or may not be linked to the main story. The writing was simple, and the plot had wild potential.
For me, both the writing and the plot were a miss. The reason being, I had expected the writing to not be... so simple and sadly lacking in emotions. The plot, which had mad potential, was left unattended in places for the book to retain the term novella. The subplots were randomly and strategically placed, in my opinion, so as to make the subplots vague but helpful in providing insight into the characters.
The characters, too, lacked depth, in my opinion. Maybe it was the author's agenda with respect to the genre that she focused on, or maybe it was me, or probably something else. Another concern for me was the grammar, which felt off in many places. In addition to this, I couldn't see the point of censoring words like bitch or fuck in a manner that broke the flow of the text abruptly.
Sadly, Jayanthi Sankar's When Will You Die? wasn't my cup of tea. For me, the lack of emotions in the text and the execution of the plot was why I gave it the rating mentioned above, and not a five on five. That doesn't mean in any way that I am stopping you guys from giving it a try. One man's elaichi in biryani could be another guy's elaichi in tea. If you're interested in this, I would say that you should probably try the Kindle sample first.
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February 4, 2023When will you Die
Author: Jayanthi Sankar
Published by Zero Degree Publishing
Social Pscycological Novella
Pages: 229
MRP: Rs. 340/-
Keetabi Keeda was compensated monetarily for the book cost and coverage of the book review. This compensation however does not influence their thoughts on the book.
"When Will You Die" by Jayanthi Sankar is a powerful novella that explores the complexities of human relationships and the different levels of human psychology. The story revolves around Susan, a young girl from Goa, India who becomes a mother to her newborn brother at the age of twelve and eventually marries Suiyi, a Singaporean Chinese she has known since childhood. Through Susan's journey, the novella explores themes of family, relationships, and personal growth, painting a vivid picture of the ups and downs of life.
Sankar does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the three main characters and the differing perspectives they bring to the table. Susan, the protagonist, is a strong, determined young woman who finds herself navigating unfamiliar waters as she adjusts to life in Singapore. Her husband Suiyi, a Singaporean Chinese, is the perfect contrast to Susan's strength, and the reader is able to see how the two complement each other. Joseph, Susan's brother, adds an interesting layer to the story, as he refuses to study and becomes a hardened cynic who criticizes everything his life has and has not. Through the characters of Susan, Suiyi, and Joseph, Sankar explores the different facets of human psychology, particularly the ways in which our perspectives and approaches to life can change over time.
One of the strengths of this novella is the way Sankar handles the themes of relationships and personal growth. The relationship between Susan and Suiyi is not without its challenges, but Sankar shows the reader how they are able to work through their issues and come out stronger on the other side. The exploration of personal growth is also noteworthy, as Sankar delves into the inner lives of the characters and shows how they are each growing and changing in their own unique ways. The result is a touching and insightful look at the human experience.
In conclusion, "When Will You Die" is a well-written, thought-provoking novella that is sure to stay with the reader long after they have finished reading. Sankar's prose is powerful, and she does an excellent job of bringing the story to life. The themes of relationships, family, and personal growth are expertly woven into the narrative, making for a touching and insightful read. If you are a fan of postmodern socio psychological works, then "When Will You Die" is a must-read.
Author: Jayanthi Sankar
Published by Zero Degree Publishing
Social Pscycological Novella
Pages: 229
MRP: Rs. 340/-
Keetabi Keeda was compensated monetarily for the book cost and coverage of the book review. This compensation however does not influence their thoughts on the book.
"When Will You Die" by Jayanthi Sankar is a powerful novella that explores the complexities of human relationships and the different levels of human psychology. The story revolves around Susan, a young girl from Goa, India who becomes a mother to her newborn brother at the age of twelve and eventually marries Suiyi, a Singaporean Chinese she has known since childhood. Through Susan's journey, the novella explores themes of family, relationships, and personal growth, painting a vivid picture of the ups and downs of life.
Sankar does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the three main characters and the differing perspectives they bring to the table. Susan, the protagonist, is a strong, determined young woman who finds herself navigating unfamiliar waters as she adjusts to life in Singapore. Her husband Suiyi, a Singaporean Chinese, is the perfect contrast to Susan's strength, and the reader is able to see how the two complement each other. Joseph, Susan's brother, adds an interesting layer to the story, as he refuses to study and becomes a hardened cynic who criticizes everything his life has and has not. Through the characters of Susan, Suiyi, and Joseph, Sankar explores the different facets of human psychology, particularly the ways in which our perspectives and approaches to life can change over time.
One of the strengths of this novella is the way Sankar handles the themes of relationships and personal growth. The relationship between Susan and Suiyi is not without its challenges, but Sankar shows the reader how they are able to work through their issues and come out stronger on the other side. The exploration of personal growth is also noteworthy, as Sankar delves into the inner lives of the characters and shows how they are each growing and changing in their own unique ways. The result is a touching and insightful look at the human experience.
In conclusion, "When Will You Die" is a well-written, thought-provoking novella that is sure to stay with the reader long after they have finished reading. Sankar's prose is powerful, and she does an excellent job of bringing the story to life. The themes of relationships, family, and personal growth are expertly woven into the narrative, making for a touching and insightful read. If you are a fan of postmodern socio psychological works, then "When Will You Die" is a must-read.
January 24, 2023
Book name - When will you die?
Author - Jayanthi Sankar
Genre - Socio psychological novella
Rating - 4.5/5
This book reminds me how rapidly our world is changing. 90's kids can relate to this book, it starts with a letter, a letter from a penfriend. In the 90s we wrote letters to our friends and family, we waited for their letters, then it transformed into email, then messages, and now a meme. How our conversation and communication form changes its shape really makes some tingling effect on my mind. I still miss those days, waiting for a letter from relatives or friends who live far away from us. The happiness of making handwritten notes, touching their letters, and penning my thoughts on paper, was all fascinating.
The author very skillfully drew an emotional ode to life. It focuses on human emotions, and complexity derived from everyday nuances of life. This novella builds on a very insightful concept of hidden trauma, relationship, and insecurity, and is crafted very beautifully.
It makes me nostalgic at the beginning when it starts with a letter. This story starts with a conversation between two pen-friends.
This is the story of Susan and Suiyi, two pen-friends, one who lives in India and another who lives in Singapore. As the story goes on we get to know other various characters, and vivid subplots, they played an important part in developing this socio-psychological drama.
This book caught me by its unique name and cover and then it made me embroiled on the last page by its significant writing style. Three days I spent with this book and I can't forget the characters, their everyday talking, their emotions, and their traumas. Susan's tormented life makes me agitated and I even feel the urge to write a letter to her.
I was hoping to get more from Susan and Suiyi, specially Suiyi remains unclear and shallow to me. Susan also became silent after the first half. I felt Suiyi's character has been shadowed and neglected by the author, I wanted him to come up more clearly in front of readers.
I love the idea of how the story is carried out with the letters and emails. Reading letters brings nostalgia, and from multiple POVs gives another dimension to the book whilst making us feel deeply connected to the characters.
Author Jayanthi woven this socio-psychological novella with simple words and they are relatable. The writing style of the author is lucid and witty, very apt with today's readers.
It's a light yet profound read that left us exploring more aspects of our mysterious minds.
Author - Jayanthi Sankar
Genre - Socio psychological novella
Rating - 4.5/5
This book reminds me how rapidly our world is changing. 90's kids can relate to this book, it starts with a letter, a letter from a penfriend. In the 90s we wrote letters to our friends and family, we waited for their letters, then it transformed into email, then messages, and now a meme. How our conversation and communication form changes its shape really makes some tingling effect on my mind. I still miss those days, waiting for a letter from relatives or friends who live far away from us. The happiness of making handwritten notes, touching their letters, and penning my thoughts on paper, was all fascinating.
The author very skillfully drew an emotional ode to life. It focuses on human emotions, and complexity derived from everyday nuances of life. This novella builds on a very insightful concept of hidden trauma, relationship, and insecurity, and is crafted very beautifully.
It makes me nostalgic at the beginning when it starts with a letter. This story starts with a conversation between two pen-friends.
This is the story of Susan and Suiyi, two pen-friends, one who lives in India and another who lives in Singapore. As the story goes on we get to know other various characters, and vivid subplots, they played an important part in developing this socio-psychological drama.
This book caught me by its unique name and cover and then it made me embroiled on the last page by its significant writing style. Three days I spent with this book and I can't forget the characters, their everyday talking, their emotions, and their traumas. Susan's tormented life makes me agitated and I even feel the urge to write a letter to her.
I was hoping to get more from Susan and Suiyi, specially Suiyi remains unclear and shallow to me. Susan also became silent after the first half. I felt Suiyi's character has been shadowed and neglected by the author, I wanted him to come up more clearly in front of readers.
I love the idea of how the story is carried out with the letters and emails. Reading letters brings nostalgia, and from multiple POVs gives another dimension to the book whilst making us feel deeply connected to the characters.
Author Jayanthi woven this socio-psychological novella with simple words and they are relatable. The writing style of the author is lucid and witty, very apt with today's readers.
It's a light yet profound read that left us exploring more aspects of our mysterious minds.
January 29, 2023
There is one genre for me that I don't mind reading, however, with one condition. It may sound stupid to some but it's how well a back summary can intrigue me to pick that book. For me - it's psychological fiction. And you know it right, why I choose to read 'When will you die?' even when it's not really my kind of book.
When will you die revolves around Susan who is not only playing a role of an individual but a sister and wife as well. A wife of Suiyi who was once her pen-pal when they were kids and later when Susan reallocated to Singapore, they married each other.
A sister to little Joe, or to be precise, She's like a foster mother to him. However, as he's growing up, he is becoming annoying and Susan needs to assure that things are taken care of.
And FYI, these two men have their differences and don't get along well. We have one more side character - Nanima as well.
How Susan manages all of it and the twists and turns happening in this novella is what form the main plot of this story.
The major theme that this book includes is the dynamic of the relationship with different people in our life. How can human behavior affect your closest one? How can one decision change your life for good (and for the worst)? How sometimes things aren't in our control? These are a few of the questions that this novella portrays.
It also dives into a person's mind when they are going through a lot and dealing with mental illness.The language is easy and simple to understand.
The way the author focused on character building of the protagonist, as well as other side characters is commendable.
As mentioned above, how the story was going further was what kept me hooked with this book throughout.
However, as it has its twists and turns, it didn't give me an adrenaline rush or something like that. I expected a bit more in that case. Also, Suiyi's character wasn't much understandable and clear to me. Especially after the second half.
I would recommend this to all readers who are into psychological thrillers or planning to read something in this genre.
When will you die revolves around Susan who is not only playing a role of an individual but a sister and wife as well. A wife of Suiyi who was once her pen-pal when they were kids and later when Susan reallocated to Singapore, they married each other.
A sister to little Joe, or to be precise, She's like a foster mother to him. However, as he's growing up, he is becoming annoying and Susan needs to assure that things are taken care of.
And FYI, these two men have their differences and don't get along well. We have one more side character - Nanima as well.
How Susan manages all of it and the twists and turns happening in this novella is what form the main plot of this story.
The major theme that this book includes is the dynamic of the relationship with different people in our life. How can human behavior affect your closest one? How can one decision change your life for good (and for the worst)? How sometimes things aren't in our control? These are a few of the questions that this novella portrays.
It also dives into a person's mind when they are going through a lot and dealing with mental illness.The language is easy and simple to understand.
The way the author focused on character building of the protagonist, as well as other side characters is commendable.
As mentioned above, how the story was going further was what kept me hooked with this book throughout.
However, as it has its twists and turns, it didn't give me an adrenaline rush or something like that. I expected a bit more in that case. Also, Suiyi's character wasn't much understandable and clear to me. Especially after the second half.
I would recommend this to all readers who are into psychological thrillers or planning to read something in this genre.
January 31, 2023
"When will you die?" by Jayanthi Sankar is a portrait painting of the lives of three people intertwined by adaptive means. Our female protagonist, Susan, has lost her grandma. She is going through the all too well-known regret of not having spent enough time with our elders. As she talks to her grandma's neighbors, we are taken to the past through letters and prose breaks as Susan becomes pen pals with her future husband, Suiyi from Singapore. The story progresses and we get glimpses into the relationships between all the family members of Susan's. She and her brother, her grandma and her mother, she and her husband, and her grandma's dynamics with her grandchildren; every relationship is under scrutiny in this novella. This is a monotone story where several lives of normal people are laid out in front of the readers and are free to dissect as they will.
I completely understand Susan's problems and dilemmas. But I am a big believer in "Blood doesn't mean family". I cut off problematic family members as I would dead branches. In Susan's place, I would have dropped Joe like a paper on fire. But since not everyone is the cold-blooded monster I am, I am sure Susan could have done more for Joe's mental health. But Joe was deceptive because he wanted to, he had anger issues and I couldn't tolerate any scene with his character in it. It was irritating and I was continually chiding Susan to cut him off. Especially after the hospital incident. As for Suiyi, honestly, I have no clue as to what sort of man he turned out to be at the end, but he had his fair share of ups and downs.
I wouldn't say all's well that ends well for this story because it stops at a turning point. Even if all three were to live peacefully in the months after the grandmother's death, I am sure Joe will slip and Susan and Suiyi will still have their problems. However, isn't that what life is? If it were linear, would we even have a satisfactory life?
The book shines a light on the complex lives of ordinary people. And it is definitely worth a read. My rating is 4 stars.
I completely understand Susan's problems and dilemmas. But I am a big believer in "Blood doesn't mean family". I cut off problematic family members as I would dead branches. In Susan's place, I would have dropped Joe like a paper on fire. But since not everyone is the cold-blooded monster I am, I am sure Susan could have done more for Joe's mental health. But Joe was deceptive because he wanted to, he had anger issues and I couldn't tolerate any scene with his character in it. It was irritating and I was continually chiding Susan to cut him off. Especially after the hospital incident. As for Suiyi, honestly, I have no clue as to what sort of man he turned out to be at the end, but he had his fair share of ups and downs.
I wouldn't say all's well that ends well for this story because it stops at a turning point. Even if all three were to live peacefully in the months after the grandmother's death, I am sure Joe will slip and Susan and Suiyi will still have their problems. However, isn't that what life is? If it were linear, would we even have a satisfactory life?
The book shines a light on the complex lives of ordinary people. And it is definitely worth a read. My rating is 4 stars.
February 28, 2023
Full review on my blog:
https://blog.medhaapps.com/2023/02/bo...
Susan’s parents had trouble in their marriage from her childhood and after her father left their house, Susan’s mother also left with a man from their neighborhood. As Susan was brought up by her Nani ma Maria in Goa, Susan’s mother returned back pregnant, only to deliver a boy and pass away. A twelve-year-old Susan decides to play mother to her baby brother Joseph(Joe), and pampers him.
Susan becomes friend with Suiyi, a Chinese boy settled in Singapore by writing letters to him as a pen friend. As kids, both Susan and Suiyi have similar situations as home, living with their respective siblings, away from parents. Upon Suiyi’s insistence, Susan moves to Singapore to get a better job and soon marries Suiyi. Will Suiyi and Susan be able to live their happily-ever-after? How does staying away from his sister affect Joe’s life forms the rest of the story.
The story is about two sets of siblings and their families, especially about kids with dysfunctional families and how childhood trauma and lack of love and care from parents can affect adult behavior. The story starts in an interesting manner, with intriguing characters and their respective back stories. The secrets that are part of these families are slowly unwrapped by the author.
However, the second half is where the story loses the pace and keeps going in circles, at times moving around subplots that do not add value to the actual narrative. The topic picked by the author around trauma and mental health is impressive and definitely needs to be discussed more than it is done today in our society.
The author lost an opportunity to deliver a good message, as the theme picked up is a good one, but execution is where the story falters. The story held my interest for the first 100 pages but after that it sort of went downhill. The suspense factor is maintained till end and the ending though not spelled out, hints at what could have happened or may be the author wanted to leave the ending unexplained.
If you like to read family dramas or stories exploring mental health issues, then this will interest you.
https://blog.medhaapps.com/2023/02/bo...
Susan’s parents had trouble in their marriage from her childhood and after her father left their house, Susan’s mother also left with a man from their neighborhood. As Susan was brought up by her Nani ma Maria in Goa, Susan’s mother returned back pregnant, only to deliver a boy and pass away. A twelve-year-old Susan decides to play mother to her baby brother Joseph(Joe), and pampers him.
Susan becomes friend with Suiyi, a Chinese boy settled in Singapore by writing letters to him as a pen friend. As kids, both Susan and Suiyi have similar situations as home, living with their respective siblings, away from parents. Upon Suiyi’s insistence, Susan moves to Singapore to get a better job and soon marries Suiyi. Will Suiyi and Susan be able to live their happily-ever-after? How does staying away from his sister affect Joe’s life forms the rest of the story.
The story is about two sets of siblings and their families, especially about kids with dysfunctional families and how childhood trauma and lack of love and care from parents can affect adult behavior. The story starts in an interesting manner, with intriguing characters and their respective back stories. The secrets that are part of these families are slowly unwrapped by the author.
However, the second half is where the story loses the pace and keeps going in circles, at times moving around subplots that do not add value to the actual narrative. The topic picked by the author around trauma and mental health is impressive and definitely needs to be discussed more than it is done today in our society.
The author lost an opportunity to deliver a good message, as the theme picked up is a good one, but execution is where the story falters. The story held my interest for the first 100 pages but after that it sort of went downhill. The suspense factor is maintained till end and the ending though not spelled out, hints at what could have happened or may be the author wanted to leave the ending unexplained.
If you like to read family dramas or stories exploring mental health issues, then this will interest you.
April 12, 2023
When Will You Die by Jayanthi Sankar is a socio psychological novella as the cover says.
What attracted my attention and made me buy this book was its lack of any blurb and only snippets from reviews of several famous verticals. So I bought it, and read it.
Before I begin with the book, I must say that I will try my best to not give any spoilers so if it sounds a bit vague it's because I am trying to preserve all the best and nice parts for you to enjoy it when you read this.
The plot opens up with a prologue which follows Susan at her Granny's funeral and from there it goes into the past, i.e. in May, 1979.
The main plot begins with Susan writing her very first letter to her pen friend Suiyi and thus begins a friendship which turns into marriage and from there so much more.
Susan is a Christian girl with Portugese roots based in Konkan, who has a brother named Joe and Suiyi is a Malaysian who has moved to Singapore with his family to follow on his father's ambition to make money.
Their friendship is shown through letters exchanged between them at first and their individual lives are also written about in a third person's perspective.
The plot brings out emotions and what I observed was that no matter the ethnicity or the place one lives, a lot of emotions, a lot of situations that a person goes through are so similar, yet so different because of their backgrounds.
Sankar has made her characters very appealing and gray and that just won me over. The part that appealed to me the most was the ironic parallels drawn between Suiyi and his parents character and similarly between Susan and her parents' characters. This whole novella was just so so accurate with its representation.
Will recommend it to those who are looking for a nice read which is psychologically enriched.
What attracted my attention and made me buy this book was its lack of any blurb and only snippets from reviews of several famous verticals. So I bought it, and read it.
Before I begin with the book, I must say that I will try my best to not give any spoilers so if it sounds a bit vague it's because I am trying to preserve all the best and nice parts for you to enjoy it when you read this.
The plot opens up with a prologue which follows Susan at her Granny's funeral and from there it goes into the past, i.e. in May, 1979.
The main plot begins with Susan writing her very first letter to her pen friend Suiyi and thus begins a friendship which turns into marriage and from there so much more.
Susan is a Christian girl with Portugese roots based in Konkan, who has a brother named Joe and Suiyi is a Malaysian who has moved to Singapore with his family to follow on his father's ambition to make money.
Their friendship is shown through letters exchanged between them at first and their individual lives are also written about in a third person's perspective.
The plot brings out emotions and what I observed was that no matter the ethnicity or the place one lives, a lot of emotions, a lot of situations that a person goes through are so similar, yet so different because of their backgrounds.
Sankar has made her characters very appealing and gray and that just won me over. The part that appealed to me the most was the ironic parallels drawn between Suiyi and his parents character and similarly between Susan and her parents' characters. This whole novella was just so so accurate with its representation.
Will recommend it to those who are looking for a nice read which is psychologically enriched.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2023
"When will you die" Authored by @jeyanthisankar28 depicts life of protagonist Susan. Amidst her Singaporean spouse Suiyi and her brother Joe, Susan feels conflicted. Joe compares Susan to a mother he barely got to know. Susan and Suiyi initially became writing buddies, and she subsequently accepts the invitation to leave her family behind and travel to Singapore when Suiyi extended it.
How is Susan going to balance her time between Goa and Singapore? Why do you end up asking when someone is going to die, while you love them the most? Is this a spur of moment option or is there another reason?
.
The novel explores how humans navigate moral ambiguities to live with current circumstances while carrying the burdens of past experiences. I thought narration to be pretty captivating and was drawn into the plot right away. I really enjoyed the subplots' literary approach, particularly the way the leads went through development. These individuals were well-developed and sympathetic. This novel examines the bond amongst siblings as well as the challenges of assuming responsibilities after losing your mother at a young age.
.
The language is engaging and maintains readers keen. A special point should be made of how carefully the book dealt with the themes related to mental health and emotional trauma. The subject is difficult for composing about, and we frequently observe how inaccurately it is portrayed in best-sellers. I did, however, occasionally feel a little cut off from the narrative, primarily owing to an abrupt shift in the timeframe. However, it's a terrific book all around.
.
The novel continues to keep you interested despite being brief. Because the language is straightforward, a larger audience may easily understand it. The climax enhances the whole experience, and the writer succeeds in structuring the narrative appropriately.
How is Susan going to balance her time between Goa and Singapore? Why do you end up asking when someone is going to die, while you love them the most? Is this a spur of moment option or is there another reason?
.
The novel explores how humans navigate moral ambiguities to live with current circumstances while carrying the burdens of past experiences. I thought narration to be pretty captivating and was drawn into the plot right away. I really enjoyed the subplots' literary approach, particularly the way the leads went through development. These individuals were well-developed and sympathetic. This novel examines the bond amongst siblings as well as the challenges of assuming responsibilities after losing your mother at a young age.
.
The language is engaging and maintains readers keen. A special point should be made of how carefully the book dealt with the themes related to mental health and emotional trauma. The subject is difficult for composing about, and we frequently observe how inaccurately it is portrayed in best-sellers. I did, however, occasionally feel a little cut off from the narrative, primarily owing to an abrupt shift in the timeframe. However, it's a terrific book all around.
.
The novel continues to keep you interested despite being brief. Because the language is straightforward, a larger audience may easily understand it. The climax enhances the whole experience, and the writer succeeds in structuring the narrative appropriately.
December 17, 2022
Jayanthi Sankar’s When Will You Die? is a socio psychological thriller. This book is raw and intense and explores a spectrum of emotions. It is a work of art with subtle nuances captured through the author’s skillful observations. Written mostly in epistolary style, the story is predominantly about relationships. The central protagonists of this story are Susan, her husband Suiyi, and her brother, Joe.
Susan’s mother dies while birthing Joe, leaving her to assume the role of a foster mother at the tender age of twelve. Susan strives to rise above her circumstance to create a better life for them. She forms an unlikely friendship with the Singaporean Suiyi by writing letters to him.
Years later, an adult Susan relocates to Singapore to fulfil her dream of employment and a better life. There, she marries Suiyi, and tries to integrate and establish her identity in a foreign land. Joe depends financially and emotionally on her, and his downward spiral is draining for both of them. The story alternates between the idyllic beaches of Goa and the concrete jungle of Singapore.
What stunned me is the author’s use of the literary canvas- she splashes it with colour in the most unconventional of ways. The narrator varies; at times it is a leaky roof that safeguards secrets; other times it is a draft email that remains unsent for many years. The author’s words with their immense depth make the reader pause and ponder.
While the language is lucid and flows easily, the book took some time to absorb and sink in. With its vivid character sketches, this is a fabulous work of literary fiction and a masterclass as to how the boundaries of writing can be stretched to create something intriguing and memorable.
Susan’s mother dies while birthing Joe, leaving her to assume the role of a foster mother at the tender age of twelve. Susan strives to rise above her circumstance to create a better life for them. She forms an unlikely friendship with the Singaporean Suiyi by writing letters to him.
Years later, an adult Susan relocates to Singapore to fulfil her dream of employment and a better life. There, she marries Suiyi, and tries to integrate and establish her identity in a foreign land. Joe depends financially and emotionally on her, and his downward spiral is draining for both of them. The story alternates between the idyllic beaches of Goa and the concrete jungle of Singapore.
What stunned me is the author’s use of the literary canvas- she splashes it with colour in the most unconventional of ways. The narrator varies; at times it is a leaky roof that safeguards secrets; other times it is a draft email that remains unsent for many years. The author’s words with their immense depth make the reader pause and ponder.
While the language is lucid and flows easily, the book took some time to absorb and sink in. With its vivid character sketches, this is a fabulous work of literary fiction and a masterclass as to how the boundaries of writing can be stretched to create something intriguing and memorable.
February 6, 2023
When Will You Die by Jayanthi Sankar is a complex and intense psychological drama that delves into the lives of a brother-sister pair, Susan and Joe. Despite having different fathers, they share a strong bond as siblings and their destinies bring them together in a series of dramatic and conflict-ridden interpersonal relationships.
The book follows Susan, who lost her mother at a young age and was forced to step into the role of a foster mother to Joe at just 12 years old. However, she finds solace in her pen pal Suiyi from Singapore and eventually decides to start a new life there with him. The move to Singapore brings about significant changes in their relationships and the dynamics between them.
The author masterfully weaves together multiple subplots that are closely linked and helps to bring out the various complexities of human relationships. The focus on mental well-being is commendable and adds a meaningful layer to the overall story. Despite the cliffhanger ending, the book is a compelling read for those who enjoy psychological dramas filled with twists and turns.
The author's writing style is straightforward, yet lyrical, and the book is full of moments of quiet contemplation and deep reflection. The stories she tells are powerful and thought-provoking, and the way she ties them together creates a coherent narrative that will stay with readers long after they have finished the book.
In conclusion, "When will you die" is a thought-provoking and insightful book that explores the nature of death and what lies beyond. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the meaning of life and the nature of death, and I believe it will be an inspiring and transformative read for anyone who picks it up.
The book follows Susan, who lost her mother at a young age and was forced to step into the role of a foster mother to Joe at just 12 years old. However, she finds solace in her pen pal Suiyi from Singapore and eventually decides to start a new life there with him. The move to Singapore brings about significant changes in their relationships and the dynamics between them.
The author masterfully weaves together multiple subplots that are closely linked and helps to bring out the various complexities of human relationships. The focus on mental well-being is commendable and adds a meaningful layer to the overall story. Despite the cliffhanger ending, the book is a compelling read for those who enjoy psychological dramas filled with twists and turns.
The author's writing style is straightforward, yet lyrical, and the book is full of moments of quiet contemplation and deep reflection. The stories she tells are powerful and thought-provoking, and the way she ties them together creates a coherent narrative that will stay with readers long after they have finished the book.
In conclusion, "When will you die" is a thought-provoking and insightful book that explores the nature of death and what lies beyond. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the meaning of life and the nature of death, and I believe it will be an inspiring and transformative read for anyone who picks it up.
Read
November 24, 2022If I assert, “Happiness is subjective,” I do not think anyone would contest it vociferously because my theory emanates from the no-man's-land between the borders of spirituality and psychology. And, I would also turn a blind eye to the homogeneous outlook to happiness amongst scores of people of the same class, peer pressure, culture and societal norms conditions in whose minds. However, this novella addresses it and gives the reader a microscopic view of the addictive or sick side of happiness and the compulsion to be ‘happy’ subtly and nonjudgmentally. The novella gives the reader a whole new insight into what a 'happily married’ person stands for. In the same vein, a loser questions a successful person on the compromises he made for the bright career. If the crudeness and cruelty in a workplace is fine, then is it not saner to avoid such a job repeatedly, even if that might result in a dead end in the quest for employment? In the novella, the characterization of three generations of a family in Goa is like modern art from the brushes of the author with different colours and depth and contrast in the strokes, and the end is thought-provoking. In the late 70s, a commercial super hit Bollywood film ‘Bobby’ portrayed the fishermen community of Goa and the other communities as well. I recalled the film and the novella only gives me a clearer picture of the pluralistic culture in Goa. The main characters in the novella for their own reasons do not share important incidents of their lives, and this effectively depicts the shallowness in modern contemporary relationships. What the author has left unsaid could easily become the epilogue to the novella.
January 14, 2023
Today, researchers and academics examine nearly every aspect of human existence through a psychological lens. Social psychology is one of the broadest and most complex subcategories because it is concerned with self-perception and the behavioural interplay among the individuals who make up society. What follows is an overview of social psychology as a science, including a definition, its origins, and topics related to the field. Social psychologists explore the power of thought and perception to shape action and cement emotional connections. This is not a new concept; William Shakespeare provided one of the earliest known examples of insight worthy of a social psychologist in his most psychologically complex play, “Hamlet.”
When Will You Die? by Jayanthi Sankar tells the story of Susan, a little Goan girl, and Suiyi, an immigrant of similar age from Singapore. Through their letters, they both express their feelings to each other. They soon begin conversing about their tumultuous lives and personal misfortunes. Even though their lives eventually take separate turns, circumstances continue to link them together. With the promise of better living, Suiyi entices Susan to leave her family behind and relocate to Singapore. She marries Suiyi and learns about her and her husband's thoughts on life, specifically how those perspectives evolve over time, as she struggles to establish herself in a nation.
The author eloquently portrays the various issues and challenges that each of us encounters in our group with our near and dear ones or with those who are in our surroundings through her storyline and characters, who exhibit strong human behaviours and emotions. A story filled with nuanced, complicated emotions flows unfettered and very easily leavened. A charm is added by the compelling characterization and captivating tale.
The book is a truly extraordinary creation of literary fiction with all the hallmarks of a magnum opus.
When Will You Die? by Jayanthi Sankar tells the story of Susan, a little Goan girl, and Suiyi, an immigrant of similar age from Singapore. Through their letters, they both express their feelings to each other. They soon begin conversing about their tumultuous lives and personal misfortunes. Even though their lives eventually take separate turns, circumstances continue to link them together. With the promise of better living, Suiyi entices Susan to leave her family behind and relocate to Singapore. She marries Suiyi and learns about her and her husband's thoughts on life, specifically how those perspectives evolve over time, as she struggles to establish herself in a nation.
The author eloquently portrays the various issues and challenges that each of us encounters in our group with our near and dear ones or with those who are in our surroundings through her storyline and characters, who exhibit strong human behaviours and emotions. A story filled with nuanced, complicated emotions flows unfettered and very easily leavened. A charm is added by the compelling characterization and captivating tale.
The book is a truly extraordinary creation of literary fiction with all the hallmarks of a magnum opus.
April 15, 2023
"When Will You Die" by Jayanthi Sankar is an enthralling and deeply moving work of fiction that explores the intricate and often fragile nature of sibling relationships. The book follows Susan and Joe, who, despite having different fathers, share an unbreakable bond as siblings.
Sankar's masterful storytelling immerses the reader in Susan's world, as she navigates the complexities of her life as a foster mother to Joe after losing her own mother at a young age. The novel is punctuated by moments of intense conflict and turmoil, as Susan and Joe grapple with their inner demons and the often-challenging relationships they form with those around them.
Beyond its gripping plot, "When Will You Die" is a profoundly philosophical work that explores the nature of life, death, and the human condition. Through her deft use of language, Sankar creates a poetic and emotionally charged experience that will resonate with readers long after they have turned the final page.
The characters in the book are richly drawn and complex, their individual struggles and desires revealing profound insights into the human psyche. Sankar's writing is accessible and easy to follow, yet never lacks depth or complexity. Her use of vivid imagery and powerful metaphors creates a visceral and immersive reading experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Overall, "When Will You Die" is a stunning work of fiction that deftly blends the personal and the philosophical, the emotional and the intellectual. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys literary fiction that is both thought-provoking and deeply moving.
Sankar's masterful storytelling immerses the reader in Susan's world, as she navigates the complexities of her life as a foster mother to Joe after losing her own mother at a young age. The novel is punctuated by moments of intense conflict and turmoil, as Susan and Joe grapple with their inner demons and the often-challenging relationships they form with those around them.
Beyond its gripping plot, "When Will You Die" is a profoundly philosophical work that explores the nature of life, death, and the human condition. Through her deft use of language, Sankar creates a poetic and emotionally charged experience that will resonate with readers long after they have turned the final page.
The characters in the book are richly drawn and complex, their individual struggles and desires revealing profound insights into the human psyche. Sankar's writing is accessible and easy to follow, yet never lacks depth or complexity. Her use of vivid imagery and powerful metaphors creates a visceral and immersive reading experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Overall, "When Will You Die" is a stunning work of fiction that deftly blends the personal and the philosophical, the emotional and the intellectual. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys literary fiction that is both thought-provoking and deeply moving.
May 31, 2023
When will you die by Jayanthi Sankar is a socio psychological novel where trauma, depression and codependency goes to an extreme level.
The story revolves around Susan and her brother Joe. Susan and Joe only had their Granny who dedicated her entire life to take care of them. But sadly they didn't have a happy life amidst the sacrifices.
When I read this book I felt like every character here is suffering. Everyone went through immense pain and loss. Yet only a few could keep their mind in control and survive the grief. But not everyone was so lucky, at least Joe wasn't. He was the victim of loss since birth! He lost his mum, his dad, his girlfriend and at a point of life he had to go far from his only sister. His sister was his little pillar that he held onto since childhood. As a result he was lonely for most of his life. No amount of support, words of motivation worked for him and that loneliness took him far away from reality. This book mirrors our daily thoughts, feelings, and struggles that many readers will be able to relate to.
The book has a crisp writing style. Author was not beating behind the bush but pointed out her thoughts directly. I loved the unsent emails and the exchanged letters. The unsaid words reflect our own feelings and thoughts that we never actually speak to our dear ones- words that can actually change the whole course of our lives.
But the only issue I had was that I couldn't connect the 1st few pages of the book with the rest of the plot. Otherwise it's a beautiful read that one can finish in one sitting. This book will definitely make the readers think, think about lives, people, and some un-expressable feelings.
July 13, 2023
“When Will You Die?” by Jayanthi Sankar is a Socio-psychological fiction. The author has tended to grasp the genuine significance of interpersonal connections, taking off the readers into amazement at the author's familiarity with human feelings and relationships.
In this saga, you will read about the complexness of relations and sentiments that have been illustrated so beautifully that I was awestruck by how vastly this book grasped within its pages.
The Major Characters of the story are Susan, her husband Suiyi, and her brother, Joe. Susan’s mother passes away while giving birth to Joe, leaving her to reckon with the role of a foster mother at the young age of twelve. Susan desires to grow above her circumstance to build a better life for them. She builds a far-fetched friendship with the Singaporean Suiyi by penning letters to him.
After a few years, when grown-up Susan move to Singapore to accomplish her ambition of a career and a better life. There, she ties the knot with Suiyi and attempts to blend and established her identity in a foreign environment. Joe relies financially and emotionally on her, and his downward circle is exhausting for both of them. The story, subsequently, explores the transformation in the changing of relationships.
For Me, This book is gripping to flip through, you will read about the mixture of sentiments in this book. It's a portion of penning that will certainly create an appearance upon the intellects of all those who gobble its enthusiastic portrayal, dazzlingly entwined characters, and heartfelt writing skill.
I'd rate this book 4.1 out of 5 stars.
In this saga, you will read about the complexness of relations and sentiments that have been illustrated so beautifully that I was awestruck by how vastly this book grasped within its pages.
The Major Characters of the story are Susan, her husband Suiyi, and her brother, Joe. Susan’s mother passes away while giving birth to Joe, leaving her to reckon with the role of a foster mother at the young age of twelve. Susan desires to grow above her circumstance to build a better life for them. She builds a far-fetched friendship with the Singaporean Suiyi by penning letters to him.
After a few years, when grown-up Susan move to Singapore to accomplish her ambition of a career and a better life. There, she ties the knot with Suiyi and attempts to blend and established her identity in a foreign environment. Joe relies financially and emotionally on her, and his downward circle is exhausting for both of them. The story, subsequently, explores the transformation in the changing of relationships.
For Me, This book is gripping to flip through, you will read about the mixture of sentiments in this book. It's a portion of penning that will certainly create an appearance upon the intellects of all those who gobble its enthusiastic portrayal, dazzlingly entwined characters, and heartfelt writing skill.
I'd rate this book 4.1 out of 5 stars.
December 31, 2022
"Being happy and trying to be happy are two entirely different things." - Suiyi, When Will You Die
Some stories present their essences in very unique ways to us. When we read them, we donot want to stop reading. As if they keep us calling back and an urge arises from the inside to get to know more about the characters in them and what happens in their lives.
It happens mostly when the author has skillfully developed their characters and that makes us feel the connected to them.
When Will You Die is one such book which kept me engaged till the end. Susan is a kid, from Goa Concana who starts conversation with her newly found pen pal from Singapore. A little boy of similar age, Suiyi who is immigrant. Soon they start sharing about their tumultuous lives involving personal losses. Step by step their lives take different paths but still they are connected through events. In between, we are introduced to other characters and we get to know their back stories as well which all are linked and one event leading to the another, finally creating an effect even after many years.
This modern socio- psychological family drama points out, how relationships mould into different shapes over the years and that even sometimes unconditional love fail to change destined scenarios. It also makes us realise that mental wellbeing is very important. If I had to describe this novel as an emotion, I would choose vibes of Melancholia for it.
With different subplots involving the relationships between grandparents, siblings, couples and even colleagues, it sketches the hues of different phases of life one goes through alongside the fact that relationships come with their sets of complexities and challenges.
With short chapters, this good book ends into somewhat of a cliffhanger, as per I understood. Also we get to know these characters are inspired by real life events.
Best of all, I liked knowing about the Singapore culture sprinkled around the plot. The narrative style made me stick till the end.
Go for it.
Some stories present their essences in very unique ways to us. When we read them, we donot want to stop reading. As if they keep us calling back and an urge arises from the inside to get to know more about the characters in them and what happens in their lives.
It happens mostly when the author has skillfully developed their characters and that makes us feel the connected to them.
When Will You Die is one such book which kept me engaged till the end. Susan is a kid, from Goa Concana who starts conversation with her newly found pen pal from Singapore. A little boy of similar age, Suiyi who is immigrant. Soon they start sharing about their tumultuous lives involving personal losses. Step by step their lives take different paths but still they are connected through events. In between, we are introduced to other characters and we get to know their back stories as well which all are linked and one event leading to the another, finally creating an effect even after many years.
This modern socio- psychological family drama points out, how relationships mould into different shapes over the years and that even sometimes unconditional love fail to change destined scenarios. It also makes us realise that mental wellbeing is very important. If I had to describe this novel as an emotion, I would choose vibes of Melancholia for it.
With different subplots involving the relationships between grandparents, siblings, couples and even colleagues, it sketches the hues of different phases of life one goes through alongside the fact that relationships come with their sets of complexities and challenges.
With short chapters, this good book ends into somewhat of a cliffhanger, as per I understood. Also we get to know these characters are inspired by real life events.
Best of all, I liked knowing about the Singapore culture sprinkled around the plot. The narrative style made me stick till the end.
Go for it.
January 4, 2023
When Will you Die? Jayanthi Sankar @jeyanthisankar28
Right from the very beginning from the title itself the book had me. What an intriguing title it’s a short novella with small chapters which makes it a day or two to read. It was my first book of the year and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece of fiction penned by Jayanthi as the narration style is fresh and I also like the style of storytelling specially the format. There are many other quotes and sub plots that I loved in the story that I am itching to tell you all but I shouldn’t land up giving you all spoilers. I rather have you’ll discover it but never the less let me tell you a little about the story Susan is a kid from Goa and she has found a pen pal from Singapore Suiyi who is of the same age and they share their emotion through their letters. ( It took me back in time when I had a pen pal from Nagpur and I enjoying writing my heart out to her) back to the story they both have turbulent personal lives and though both are in different places and have different journeys in life they are still very connected. The author through her story and characters portage strong human behaviours, emotions; she has laid out beautiful different complexities and challenges that each one of us face within our circle with our closed ones or with the ones in our surroundings.
I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoy fiction and emotions that feel inspired from real life events and are looking for a quick thrill read to start their reading challenge.
Right from the very beginning from the title itself the book had me. What an intriguing title it’s a short novella with small chapters which makes it a day or two to read. It was my first book of the year and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece of fiction penned by Jayanthi as the narration style is fresh and I also like the style of storytelling specially the format. There are many other quotes and sub plots that I loved in the story that I am itching to tell you all but I shouldn’t land up giving you all spoilers. I rather have you’ll discover it but never the less let me tell you a little about the story Susan is a kid from Goa and she has found a pen pal from Singapore Suiyi who is of the same age and they share their emotion through their letters. ( It took me back in time when I had a pen pal from Nagpur and I enjoying writing my heart out to her) back to the story they both have turbulent personal lives and though both are in different places and have different journeys in life they are still very connected. The author through her story and characters portage strong human behaviours, emotions; she has laid out beautiful different complexities and challenges that each one of us face within our circle with our closed ones or with the ones in our surroundings.
I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoy fiction and emotions that feel inspired from real life events and are looking for a quick thrill read to start their reading challenge.
February 12, 2023
🦋Jayanthi Sankar is a well known fictional writer who has bagged an award for her book "Tabula Rasa". She has chaired sessions and has been a part of several international panels in literary festivals.
🦋 The author has done her magic just like her previous books. I like the way she presents human complexities in a postmodern way of narration.
🦋The storytelling is purely marvelous. It is intriguing at a lot of times and places. Some of the moments in the book makes us want to close the book and stare at the ceiling and ask few questions and ponder over the things being said.
🦋The theme of addressing love in digital era and contemporariness of relationship gives a sense of relatablity and it is indeed a replica of life as it is. The usage of WhatsApp conversation, emails kinda depicts the epistolary way of style. Oh she has used letters too so indeed an epistolary novel. The novel uses lot of literary techniques and genres combined.
🦋Also the usage of subjective tone gives a sense of participation while reading the book. It gives a clear perspective of the thrilling story. The entire book is written in a comprehensive way. It is indeed easy to pick and read. I would call this an unputdownable book due to its capacity of hooking the readers from Prologue itself. Instantly we wanna know who is Susan, Didi and the prologue kind of sets the tone for future and at the same time it gives a glimpse of past.
🦋This book will be a treat for Literature students and those who wish to read a socio- psychological novel then go ahead try this.
March 26, 2023
After reading Tabula Rasa from the same author I was kind of aware about her penchant for detailing. Whatever subject she picks up she goes deep into that and serve the readers with extensive information based on thorough research. The ones who are fond of reading simple short novels might not be intrigued by her way of writing but others who love getting lost in the content and immerse deep down will surely do.
The story throws light on the complex relationship of ordinary people. We are entwined to our near and dear ones and only understand their value and appreciate their presence after their departure. The protagonist Susan has just lost her grandma and is now living in denial and despair of not having spent enough time with her. She and another character Suiyi converse with each other through letters and express the pains , sufferings and usual ups and downs that life has to offer.
The tale builds a contrasting world where the traits of each person and how they behave and respond to particular situations is intricately expressed. The transition from Goa to Singapore is sometimes not very smooth and readers might feel disconnected at times. Though the subject of emotional health is well put forward. The characters are relatable too and story as I mentioned has that depth which can make you feel the turmoil in the air. The book though ends in a cliffhanger and if you are someone (like me) who prefers a proper closure to the stories ,you might not be that impressed
All in all quite a different kind of read.
The story throws light on the complex relationship of ordinary people. We are entwined to our near and dear ones and only understand their value and appreciate their presence after their departure. The protagonist Susan has just lost her grandma and is now living in denial and despair of not having spent enough time with her. She and another character Suiyi converse with each other through letters and express the pains , sufferings and usual ups and downs that life has to offer.
The tale builds a contrasting world where the traits of each person and how they behave and respond to particular situations is intricately expressed. The transition from Goa to Singapore is sometimes not very smooth and readers might feel disconnected at times. Though the subject of emotional health is well put forward. The characters are relatable too and story as I mentioned has that depth which can make you feel the turmoil in the air. The book though ends in a cliffhanger and if you are someone (like me) who prefers a proper closure to the stories ,you might not be that impressed
All in all quite a different kind of read.
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