Review of The Tree, the Well & the Drag Queen by Salini Vineeth
Firstly, let me admit candidly: I picked the book for its title at first and later, when I interviewed the author on my Virtual Talk Show, I felt even more curious to read the book. It was so unique and inviting that I had to pick this book and give it a read. And after finishing it, my experience was that, if I have to sum it up in a few words, if you are looking for modern folklore, a fairy-tale kind of feel or even some ancient horror vibes, this is the book you should read. Just like the supposed belief that humanity started with Adam and Eve, this book starts with the story showing the greed of Maaran and Marutha, who further initiated the tradition of becoming the guardian of the magical jackfruit tree. From this point, you will find the story reading like a tale of magical realism.
The narrative flows with such an interesting opening and description of the Jackfruit tree, the well, the curse and how, for centuries, the tradition had been going on and was further passed on to the newer generation forcibly. The tree has its demands; the demon has its; together, they seem invincible. A town that has been claimed by them, its people, the rivers, the yields, their lives and even the sun. Would you dare to live in such a confined village? Would you be able to face a demon who can’t be defeated? For years now, no one had the courage to challenge the demonic force until a drag queen from Mumbai stood face to face with it.
In between the tale, you meet a person struggling with their gender identity, their transformation and finally the acceptance of their life as a drag queen. In between, the villainous tree wants to control them so it can sustain itself further and remain as dominant as it had been for earlier descendants of the town. The narrative is extremely engaging and superlative. The power of storytelling by the author will keep you engaged throughout. The powerful imagery and the usage of fairy tale elements make it even more unputdownable. The two stories run in parallel and intersect in between, and the ending will satisfy the most.
I recommend this novella to anyone who wants a glimpse into the lives of queer people and their courage to claim the world. For me, the symbolism of the tree and the well felt like a world where the author has tried to show how these people fight every day to survive and fit in. The story has beautiful illustrations too, by the author’s sister herself. They were all super excellent and enhanced the reading experience.
Review by Monalisa Joshi, Founder & Director ( Chrysanthemum Chronicles)
Salini Vineeth is a fiction and freelance writer based in Bangalore. She worked for ten years as an engineer before turning to full-time writing. Her latest novella, The Tree, The Well & The Drag Queen, was published by Red River Story in January 2026. She has also published five other books – Lost Edges (novel), Magic Square (novella), Everyday People (a short story collection), and travel guides for Hampi and Badami. She is the fiction editor of Mean Pepper Vine, a quarterly literary magazine. She has also published several short stories. In March 2026, her short story, Theyya Kochamma, was published in Bourbon Penn. Her novella, The Tree, The Well & The Drag Queen, won the Authoropod Award for Literary Fiction in 2026. In 2025, her flash fiction, Blossom Shower, won the MyStory contest at the Mumbai Literature Festival. Her short story, The Diamond Needle, won a special mention at the BWW Short Story Award (RK Anand Prize) in 2024. She won the Orange Flower Award for Humour in 2023. Her short story collection, Everyday People, was a finalist in the Amazon Pen2Publish contest in 2019. She won the eShe short story contests in 2019 and 2020. Her stories have also appeared in magazines like Out of Print, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Bangalore Review, Borderless Journal, Cafe Dissensus, Kitaab International, Funny Peals, and The Bombay Review.
Comments