GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
In the times of ”Insta fame” and social media stardom, penning a historical fantasy novel stressing the importance of mental health at the age of 19 may be a distant aspiration for many teenagers, but Sushyanth Sridhar did a lot of research and consultations with many psychiatrists to come up with his debut crime thriller which has become a hit on the online marketplace.
Experience is the best teacher
“I was isolated from my family and friends due to the COVID pandemic and had to spend the lockdown in the city of Chennai with my grandmother,” says Sushyanth Sridhar, the 19-year-old engineering student at National Institute of Technology (NIT), Warangal, Telangana in South India.
The boredom of being locked among four walls motivated the teenager to dive deeper into history, understand the effects of psychosis disorder and write his maiden novel ‘Jon Oliver’. Immersing himself in the historical era of the 1930s helped him deal with the confinement of the lockdown, he says. According to Sushyanth, he used to enjoy writing historical fantasy ever since he was a student of FAIPS – DPS, Kuwait.
He has created an intriguing world of mystery and myth in this book that seeks to stress the importance of mental health.
Launching pad
“As I have been an avid Model United Nations (MUN) delegate and director through my schooling in Kuwait, I developed an interest in authoring background guides, papers and resolutions,” says Sushyanth. This is what subsequently inspired him to write ‘Jon Oliver’ in the psychological/history genre, he says.
Jon, the protagonist of the book, embarks on a holiday with his family to Malaysia during the summer of 2018. Jon happens to be an easy prey to the vile effects of a psychosis disorder that ruins his holiday. He is haunted by a man called Finn Larsen, who he assumes to be his arch-nemesis. He fails to realize that Larsen is a figment of his imagination.
‘Jon Oliver’ highlights the importance of tranquility and public order in the era of 2018 and 1931, respectively. The imaginary world created by Jon is set in the year 1931 and Larsen is characterized as a mobster in London. Jon builds his alter ego, Gin Oliver, to chase Larsen down the River Thames and bring down his criminal empire. Larsen joins hands with a burgeoning fascist syndicate based in London to immortalize his power.
“Writing historical fiction gives me an opportunity to translate to a different era and relive the past. I enjoy the thrill of retracing the routes of popular cultures. It also gives me an opportunity to speculate alternative ending to game-changing historical events and scrutinize its possible aftermath,” Sushyanth says, explaining the rationale behind foraying into the genre.
Mental wellness need of the hour
Through his book, Sushyanth attempts to start a dialog about the importance of mental fitness, “Our mind is an interesting machine. It is something like a perpetual motion machine; our thoughts propel further thoughts,” he says.
“This pandemic, in particular, has made our minds fatigued and longing for the return to normalcy. This prompted me during the lockdown to base my storyline on mental wellness,” he said, adding that it is important to maintain a proper balance in one’s mental health.
The book was released on online portals such as – iBook, Googleplay, Amazon, Kobo, and Flipkart – in January, 2021. The paperback version is now also available in India.
