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nookofley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was a really fun book to read and the characters are so lovable. The quirks of these character makes the silly adventure more fun to read. Really cool how we never got to know the Narrator's name.
smartcassart's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Lots of cool elements in it but the story is overall clunkily put together. The bombastic third act, while action-packed and exciting, felt out of place to the mostly lighthearted and comical tone set from the beginning. The characters really do shine though. You can tell the author really cared about them and put a lot of thought into their dynamic. I look forward to reading more of his works.
misspalah's review against another edition
4.0
THERE IS A saying in Malay: takutkan hantu, terpeluk bangkai. Directly translated, it means, "In fearing a ghost, one embraces a corpse." I never quite understood the proverb's translation. I first heard it as a child, and until now, I could not understand it in any way other than my first interpretation of it which was that one was so frightened of a ghost, that one would hug a corpse just for comfort. What the proverb implies is that in avoiding a small, possibly imagined danger, one could end up facing an even larger, actual threat. I fared poorly in the Malay language as a student.
- The Minorities by Suffian Hakim
.
.
3.5 is my actual rating - i rounded it up simply because i find this book fun , eccentric and haunting at the same time. Singaporean story that still confronted racism, sexism and taboo subject but also explored the connection that doesnt have to be bound by blood ties, the complexity of identity and sense of belongingness and the fixation on supernatural beings. The story highlighted how other minority helping other minority ; in this book, We were introduced to a quasi Malay man (Remain Nameless for almost half of the book) , A Bangladeshi man (Cantona) , A chinese man from China (Tights) and An Indian girl (Shanti). Different circumstances brought them together and they lived together in Yishun’s HDB flat. 2 are illegal immigrants, 1 ran away from an abusive husband and 1 are trying to revive his father in a ghost form. I have to admit that the first 90 pages is boring and i almost put it aside simply because i cannot see which direction this story is going to take me. Then, the ‘Pontianak’ or ‘Diyanah’ appeared in-front all of them and eventually caused havoc in the house. This is where it becomes interesting (at least to me) because i am all in whenever Malay folklore and the absurdity of modern world got entangled in the story. They met the ‘Bomoh’ to get rid of the pontianak only to end up befriending her. Then, they somehow found that there are others like Diyanah and has been part of ‘COME’ - an acronym of Council of Metaphysical Entities. It was so ridiculous but i am here for a fun ride specifically when they decided to help Diyanah who’ve wanted to return to her homeland (Malaysia) and stay there for good. I understand that this is not everyone’s cup of tea, heck - i don’t even know how non-Southeast Asian (putting Non SEA simply because i believe SEAsians can) read this novel. They may not be able to get the nuances , culture and even might find too many ghosts / apparition types mentioned in the book overwhelming. BUT don’t dismiss it yet, keep on reading and maybe you will end up laughing and even felt second-hand embarrassment for whatever these characters attempt to do. I will not review it any longer as i don’t want to spoil the story so i just shared what i don’t like about this book. First, the relationship that the Main character has with his father. The plot mentioned sense of abandonment, gaslighting and lack of attention but it was addressed briefly. Only towards the end it got cleared up but even then, it felt inadequate. It’s frustrating because it was supposed to the major plot tool but it got sidelined by the Pontianak’s Homeland Quest (for what its worth, i do like Pontianak thingy but the synopsis of the book highlighted ‘wanting his father to come back as a ghost so he brought whores home’. Second, placing, trusting and living with strangers in your own home took guts. But i wanted to know how the solid bond is being established. Everyone has a sob story and its normal for us to be empathetic and try to help each other out but using your saving to sustain and feed 2 illegal immigrants and one battered wife without any expectation of rewards seems too good to be true. That being said, while this book is amusing - some gaps in the story is obvious and some readers might not take this lightly. Anyway, if you just want to read something that might boggle your mind but not in serious way - more like humorous and weird way, this is the one.
- The Minorities by Suffian Hakim
.
.
3.5 is my actual rating - i rounded it up simply because i find this book fun , eccentric and haunting at the same time. Singaporean story that still confronted racism, sexism and taboo subject but also explored the connection that doesnt have to be bound by blood ties, the complexity of identity and sense of belongingness and the fixation on supernatural beings. The story highlighted how other minority helping other minority ; in this book, We were introduced to a quasi Malay man (Remain Nameless for almost half of the book) , A Bangladeshi man (Cantona) , A chinese man from China (Tights) and An Indian girl (Shanti). Different circumstances brought them together and they lived together in Yishun’s HDB flat. 2 are illegal immigrants, 1 ran away from an abusive husband and 1 are trying to revive his father in a ghost form. I have to admit that the first 90 pages is boring and i almost put it aside simply because i cannot see which direction this story is going to take me. Then, the ‘Pontianak’ or ‘Diyanah’ appeared in-front all of them and eventually caused havoc in the house. This is where it becomes interesting (at least to me) because i am all in whenever Malay folklore and the absurdity of modern world got entangled in the story. They met the ‘Bomoh’ to get rid of the pontianak only to end up befriending her. Then, they somehow found that there are others like Diyanah and has been part of ‘COME’ - an acronym of Council of Metaphysical Entities. It was so ridiculous but i am here for a fun ride specifically when they decided to help Diyanah who’ve wanted to return to her homeland (Malaysia) and stay there for good. I understand that this is not everyone’s cup of tea, heck - i don’t even know how non-Southeast Asian (putting Non SEA simply because i believe SEAsians can) read this novel. They may not be able to get the nuances , culture and even might find too many ghosts / apparition types mentioned in the book overwhelming. BUT don’t dismiss it yet, keep on reading and maybe you will end up laughing and even felt second-hand embarrassment for whatever these characters attempt to do. I will not review it any longer as i don’t want to spoil the story so i just shared what i don’t like about this book. First, the relationship that the Main character has with his father. The plot mentioned sense of abandonment, gaslighting and lack of attention but it was addressed briefly. Only towards the end it got cleared up but even then, it felt inadequate. It’s frustrating because it was supposed to the major plot tool but it got sidelined by the Pontianak’s Homeland Quest (for what its worth, i do like Pontianak thingy but the synopsis of the book highlighted ‘wanting his father to come back as a ghost so he brought whores home’. Second, placing, trusting and living with strangers in your own home took guts. But i wanted to know how the solid bond is being established. Everyone has a sob story and its normal for us to be empathetic and try to help each other out but using your saving to sustain and feed 2 illegal immigrants and one battered wife without any expectation of rewards seems too good to be true. That being said, while this book is amusing - some gaps in the story is obvious and some readers might not take this lightly. Anyway, if you just want to read something that might boggle your mind but not in serious way - more like humorous and weird way, this is the one.
itchyfingers's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Honestly I don’t know what to take away from this read. It felt somewhat immature, ridiculous and amateurish. There is a thin line between fantasy and idiocracy and this just falls into the category of the latter. There is no book I wanted to end more than this, what a waste of time. I mean the author clearly is well versed in literature and used bombastic words every other line, but he failed to understand that words aren’t just what makes a good book, but truly the plot which was less than mediocre in this book. Meh, give it a pass if you would.
nourarifai's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Very boring, couldn’t get into it. DNF.
suwilliams's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
rishii's review against another edition
3.0
Such a fun easy read that had its fair share of laugh out loud moments and some excellent commentary on love life and horror ☺️
teseyasfalcon's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was fine, the writing was strong and I really enjoyed the sense of found family and the local elements, but I didn't always like some of the characters, including the narrator, and I thought the book did best when it wasn't trying hard to be funny, especially in the horror moments. Also, the last thing I needed from a pontianak story was her falling in love with a man lol
Nitpick that annoyed me: He recognises every other more obscure supernatural creature instantly, but for the sake of plot it takes chapters for him to realise it's a pontianak?
Nitpick that annoyed me: He recognises every other more obscure supernatural creature instantly, but for the sake of plot it takes chapters for him to realise it's a pontianak?
shukriabdullah's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
angelayyj's review against another edition
4.0
The Minorities was in fact an impulsive buy for me because of its beautiful cover and promising title but it turned out to be much more. A quirky, chilling (at times) and heartfelt read laced with Suffian Hakim's witty humour, I enjoyed the supernatural plot, wacky loveable characters and message on losing and loving.