Bhavyasri Kodali: Telugu girl is a new literary icon in the USA

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Three months ago, Bhavyasri Kodali was just like any teenager attending a 
senior school in the USA. And then came her novel, Vindictive, a thriller plot set in New 
York. Things started changing for her. Today, she is a new literary icon in the United 
States with her debut novel selling over 25,000 copies since January.

She aspires to be a doctor and has already been volunteering at a hospital. And when she 
gets spare time, she writes mysteries. With huge success already in her kitty, Bhavyasri 
now plans a sequel to her Vindictive.

Says Bhavyasri, who hails from Vijayawada: “I was inspired by the mere feeling of 
entertaining myself, and later I was so enthralled that I continued writing. I was also 
motivated by the invisible boundaries that writing has to offer. There was no teacher 
that told me to write a paragraph in a certain way or form a character designated to the 
guidelines. As I wrote more of the story, I was inspired as to where it would end up so I 
sustained writing”.

Vindictive is full of mysteries and plots and the teenager weaves them in the most lucid 
style, keeping the reader engrossed all through. The novel talks about three friends, who 
let their curiosity unravel a dangerous secret behind a friend's death. Throughout their 
journey, the friends find the battle between betrayal and revenge as their efforts and as 
a result are forced to participate. Their fate from that moment turns to never be the 
same again.

“It took about 3 months,” she says asked how long did she take to complete the debut 
novel. “I was not so sure that it would be so successful. This was something I did for 
entertainment and fun, almost like a hobby. I was not expecting it to go anywhere near 
publishing. It all came as a big surprise and I am very fortunate,”

Asked what in her book has made it the best seller, Bhavyasri says, “That is something I 
have to figure out if I am going to write more.” She adds, “ I think my book is to the 
point, it does not exaggerate or withdraw the necessary details. The characters are 
different from each other and are relatable to the real world. It's not the plot, but it 
is the sequence of the story that may be interesting to some people.”

Bhavyasri Kodali is just years old. She is a senior in high school and will be graduating 
from 12th grade this June. She looks forward to attending college this September. “My mom 
and dad both work and my younger sister is in 8th Grade. We've been living here for the 
past 13 years, and I grew up in America.”

Bhavyasri, a student of Simi Valley High School, is the daughter of Srinivasa Kodali and 
Vijaya Lakshmi. “I want to become a doctor on the long-run, but now I want to focus on 
getting my pre-medical degree and perhaps writing a sequel; I'm not sure yet.” Initially, 
she was a bit hesitant whether readers would accept a novel from a teenager. But the book 
received a positive response. Bhavyasri’s family is thrilled to have its first author.