She Smells of Turmeric

From class president to Organization Change major to a best-selling published author — all within a span of four years! This is the whirlwind life of JIS Class of 2018 graduate Natasha Sondakh, whose debut novel, She Smells of Turmeric, has propelled her into the spotlight as an up-and-coming literary star.

With a 4-star rating on Goodreads and 4.5 stars on Amazon, her book continues to receive stellar reviews from international and Indonesian readers alike. On Amazon alone, it shot up to number one on the Amazon Bestseller list in three categories and maintained the top spot for a month on the platform’s New Release ranking in six categories.

But what inspired Natasha, at the time a finance student at Northwestern University, to take her passion for writing to the next level? Did JIS play a role in preparing her for this new career path? We had the amazing privilege of catching up with Natasha to talk about her journey about her memories of JIS, her journey as a rising young author, and of course, the story behind her “heartwarming” novel.

What is one of the most memorable experiences you had at JIS? Can you share a particularly vivid memory that has stayed with you to this day?

Where can I start? I have so many fond memories of my time at JIS, and I’m still in touch with a lot of my JIS friends.

A fond memory is leading the cheer in the 2017 Cilandak Games when we were seniors, which was during my tenure as class president. We spent way too much time on that cheer; there was a full band, choreography, and backflips involved. It was very extra, but we gave it our all. Safe to say, we won that year.

How did your time at JIS influence your writing and career path?

Writing had always been an individual creative medium, but JIS’s environment made it possible for the art to be collaborative. I received a lot of support from JIS teachers and faculty, who supported and encouraged me to keep pursuing writing.

Further, I believe JIS’s best asset is its diverse student body. My exposure to people from around the world propelled thoughts on identity, intersectionality, and accepting differences at an early age — a vital piece of my personal growth. Many pieces I’ve written since the book was published in 2021 are tied closely to these themes of Indonesian diaspora and that feeling of being in between different worlds, which is often associated with third-culture kids.

Can you share with us your journey from graduating from JIS to becoming a published author?

I graduated from JIS in 2018 and left home to pursue my studies at Northwestern University, where students were encouraged to have multidisciplinary interests. So, even though I was pursuing a career in finance, I undertook a creative writing minor to keep my writing muscles churning.

I was a sophomore when the pandemic forced everyone into lockdown. At that point, I returned to Jakarta to be with my family while juggling online classes. When the opportunity to write and publish a book came about over the summer of 2020, I knew I had to seize it, especially with the extra time afforded by the pandemic.

What inspired you to write ‘She Smells of Turmeric’?

I was deeply motivated by the lack of representation in Western literature. As a kid, I often felt insecure about being Indonesian because no one knew about my country. So in a way, writing She Smells of Turmeric was my way of representing Indonesia in American literature so that more Westerners are aware of our country and culture.

Were there any challenges you faced while writing this book? How did you overcome them?

A new obstacle I had to overcome was receiving public criticism for a piece that felt so intimate to me. I had some smaller writing accolades under my belt prior to She Smells of Turmeric, but nothing that had received such widespread attention as this book has.

I feel really lucky that the book has generally been received pretty positively, even until today. It warms my heart to read reviews on Goodreads and social media about people’s reactions to certain scenes and characters. There were even some constructive criticisms that I really appreciated, like “I wish she added more scenes about X”, or “I thought X could be executed better”, which I was able to learn from and better my writing with. 

Some criticism, however, was difficult to digest; I used to get very defensive or upset in the beginning. When I did, my editor would remind me that books are pieces of art and that readers will insert themselves into the story in the same way the writer has. I’ve learned how not to take feedback too personally. This skill has proven to be incredibly vital in the workforce, where my work gets constantly critiqued by my managers, and I am so grateful to have learned it early.

What are some themes or messages you hope readers will take away from ‘She Smells of Turmeric’?

The book ended up being a reflection and rejection of the perfectionist, hustle culture that I’ve been observing in my adult years. My hope is for my readers to understand that things aren’t as shallow as they seem, and more often than not, the perfection we observe in social media or elsewhere doesn’t reflect reality. Hopefully, with this realization, people can begin to have empathy towards and love themselves again. 

Are you planning on writing more books in the future? If so, can you share a little bit about them?

I do! I’m in the middle of drafting my second book, but that’s about all I can say right now. I will encourage people who want to keep up with my writing to subscribe to my biweekly newsletter, spilling the tea with Tasha!