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renaesense's review
4.0
3.5 stars
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I've been on a mission to support local works. No doubt it's fueled in part by the realisation that I've read works authored by Westerners (using the term loosely here). More importantly, it's fueled by a need to find myself, to find representations of my identity... to feel at home.
Don't get me wrong. I love my country. But as a young nation with immigration at the core of its history, we've struggled to identify what makes us us. We're a mix of people with different, sometimes exceptionally different heritage, and it can be a challenge to reconcile that into a single "Sinaporean" identity that we can all, or mostly, cling on to and call collectively ours.
This is where books like We R Family come in.
They give us a glimpse into what other Singaporeans and people who've come to call Singapore home view Singapore as, via a shared topic/experience. In this case, family.
I love the concept of it. What I didn't quite appreciate was how some of the stories seemed as if they were trying to mimic what is known as "good" storytelling, and sprinkling some Singaporean terms, practices, items, etc on for garnish. Those were the ones I felt most distant from.
Some stories used these elements in a way that resonated with me, likely because I had those experiences too. Like having beehoon for breakfast. Ah... beehoon.
The stories that really resonated though, showed me a different side of Singapore. They reflected our history. They reflected our issues. It showed me that we're imperfect. We've got loads to work on... but this is home, this is where family is (however you define it), and this is where I'll work to make it better.
Maybe the issue I have is that I seek stories that resonate, and are more reflexive. And that limits me from connecting with the experiences of those who are vastly different from me.
Maybe when it comes to my country, or anything I see as an integral part of my identity, I just demand more.
Maybe that's okay.
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I've been on a mission to support local works. No doubt it's fueled in part by the realisation that I've read works authored by Westerners (using the term loosely here). More importantly, it's fueled by a need to find myself, to find representations of my identity... to feel at home.
Don't get me wrong. I love my country. But as a young nation with immigration at the core of its history, we've struggled to identify what makes us us. We're a mix of people with different, sometimes exceptionally different heritage, and it can be a challenge to reconcile that into a single "Sinaporean" identity that we can all, or mostly, cling on to and call collectively ours.
This is where books like We R Family come in.
They give us a glimpse into what other Singaporeans and people who've come to call Singapore home view Singapore as, via a shared topic/experience. In this case, family.
I love the concept of it. What I didn't quite appreciate was how some of the stories seemed as if they were trying to mimic what is known as "good" storytelling, and sprinkling some Singaporean terms, practices, items, etc on for garnish. Those were the ones I felt most distant from.
Some stories used these elements in a way that resonated with me, likely because I had those experiences too. Like having beehoon for breakfast. Ah... beehoon.
The stories that really resonated though, showed me a different side of Singapore. They reflected our history. They reflected our issues. It showed me that we're imperfect. We've got loads to work on... but this is home, this is where family is (however you define it), and this is where I'll work to make it better.
Maybe the issue I have is that I seek stories that resonate, and are more reflexive. And that limits me from connecting with the experiences of those who are vastly different from me.
Maybe when it comes to my country, or anything I see as an integral part of my identity, I just demand more.
Maybe that's okay.
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