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The Tree, the Well & the Drag Queen

Salini Vineeth

A Dream. A Threat. A Mumbai-based drag queen must return to their ancestral village to confront an uncanny opponent: A demonic jackfruit tree. Centuries ago, a man and a woman in search of an elusive treasure fall into the servitude of a dark force that transmogrifies into a gigantic jackfruit Tree. Generation after generation, their descendants serve the Tree. It’s a vicious cycle of greed and cowardice. And then, a voice of dissent. A descendant defies the gender, familial and social expectations. They manage to break free and build an authentic life, far away from the Tree’s malevolent gaze. But then, they realise that the Tree still holds the reins of their destiny. Will the drag queen defeat the Tree and break the vicious cycle of servitude? Will they claim absolute freedom? The Tree, the Well & the Drag Queen blends folklore, myth and magic with a contemporary exploration of gender identity as it follows a queer person’s quest for freedom and authenticity.

GenresFictionFantasyContemporaryComing of AgeLiteraryMagical Realism

126 pages

English edition · First published 2026 by Red River Story · ISBN 9789348111289

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