Sylvia by Maithreyi Karnoor

 Sylvia by Maithreyi Karnoor

Sylvia by Maithreyi Karnoor was published on 2nd May 2023 by Neem Tree Press. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

Indian mythology meets contemporary South India in an exploration of relationships, mental health, motherhood, and the fragility of human life.

Perfect for fans of Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie.

Longing to connect to his ancestral roots, Cajetan Pereira has taken up residence near one of the rare and mystical Baobab trees in South India. Into his world walks Sylvia, a young woman in search of a story. They bond over their new-found relationship, until one day consumed by regret, Sylvia disappears.

In a rich kaleidoscope of tales, Sylvia is glimpsed in the lives of other characters as a colleague, friend, wife, and lover, until she comes back into focus as she finds herself becoming whole once more – but is it too late?

Brimming with exquisite prose, Sylvia is a beautifully woven tapestry of the ways in which we leave indelible imprints on each other’s lives.

My Review

For a small, thin book this really does pack a literal punch. The story centres around Sylvia ( and yes, she is named after one of my favourite poets Sylvia Plath who passed away at a tragically young age) and the role she plays in different peoples lives.

We first come across Sylvia when she arrives in Cajetan Pereira's garden in search of a story. The narrative around Sylvia nad how she affects the different characters we read about, no matter how briefly, is told in such a way that you, as the reader, can imagine her as the Baobab tree in which she is the trunk and the branches are the different people who are linked to her in some way, either strongly, as in the branches, or a glimpse like the small twigs and leaves.

This is a story cleverly told as it draws the reader into each character, wondering what the connection is going to be and often this is not clear until near the end of the story, all of whom has a different relationship.

For me this was a wonderful story that epitomises how one person can have many different relationships of varying lengths and strengths, each just as important in their own right.

About the Author

Maithreyi Karnoor is a Charles Wallace India Trust Fellow in creative writing and translation at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

She has been shortlisted for The Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize for A Handful of Sesame, her translation of a Kannada novel.

She is a two- time finalist for The Montreal International Poetry Prize.

Sylvia is her debut novel.

She lives in Bangalore, India.