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nicolet2018's review
3.0
Anthologies aren't really the first thing I would pick off a shelf. But Wena Poon's writing impressed me. Just to correct not all of the stories are set in Singapore. A bit of confusion there. The start of this collection was not good. Many of the stories were hard to relate, pointless and abrupt.
The stories that I could connected with were Foreign and Domestic by Kirstin Chen, it gave a new perspective to domestic workers. Next was The Crocodile Prince by Ng Yi-Sheng which I really enjoyed. Other than the unrealistic part about 2 men having a child, it was bittersweet. I was surprised that this collection has themes of LGBTQ inside. I do not mind but seeing as how Singaporeans can be quite conservative, it seemed interesting. Tenali Raman Redux by Jennani Durai was another story I liked because of the sheer hilarious smarts Raman exhibited. I liked Off Duty by Jinny Koh which sheds light on a group of people we typically overlook - cleaners. It was sad when Ah Luan had to return the bracelet and the rich lady callously says "I would not have come back if I wasn't around the area". I felt a sense of injustice. The Judge by Claire Tham was not too bad too. It again gave an unusual perspective. The conflicting emotions that goes through a judge's head.
I struggled through I m d 1 in 10 by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo. The whole story was in abbrevations. It was tough for me to read because I had to decipher the short forms which is ironic seeing as how I am part of the internet generation. I could see how the author was trying to play up that as technology becomes so part of our lives, what is to stop us from shortening everything?
Generally the good stories were towards the back. I felt I related better to the stories with characters closer to my age. Many of the stories featured main characters who are probably mental. There were 3 MCs who killed people without remorse! It is not to say that if I did not mention the story means it was terrible. Generally an okay anthology.
The stories that I could connected with were Foreign and Domestic by Kirstin Chen, it gave a new perspective to domestic workers. Next was The Crocodile Prince by Ng Yi-Sheng which I really enjoyed. Other than the unrealistic part about 2 men having a child, it was bittersweet. I was surprised that this collection has themes of LGBTQ inside. I do not mind but seeing as how Singaporeans can be quite conservative, it seemed interesting. Tenali Raman Redux by Jennani Durai was another story I liked because of the sheer hilarious smarts Raman exhibited. I liked Off Duty by Jinny Koh which sheds light on a group of people we typically overlook - cleaners. It was sad when Ah Luan had to return the bracelet and the rich lady callously says "I would not have come back if I wasn't around the area". I felt a sense of injustice. The Judge by Claire Tham was not too bad too. It again gave an unusual perspective. The conflicting emotions that goes through a judge's head.
I struggled through I m d 1 in 10 by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo. The whole story was in abbrevations. It was tough for me to read because I had to decipher the short forms which is ironic seeing as how I am part of the internet generation. I could see how the author was trying to play up that as technology becomes so part of our lives, what is to stop us from shortening everything?
Generally the good stories were towards the back. I felt I related better to the stories with characters closer to my age. Many of the stories featured main characters who are probably mental. There were 3 MCs who killed people without remorse! It is not to say that if I did not mention the story means it was terrible. Generally an okay anthology.
mmopiko's review
3.0
this is a hard book to review just because it’s such an eclectic mix of stories, but i guess it’s meant to be. it did expose me to a lot of new singaporean authors though. i realised i have never read a piece of joshua ip’s writing. also it really shows the trends in singlit like foreigners/immigrants and class divide and So so so much sex i think we are a very sexually repressed people.
favourites: I m d 1 in 10 (Victor Fernando R. Ocampo), Tenali Raman Redux (Jennani Durai), Mama at Owen Road (Gemma Pereira), Meat Bone Tea (Stephanie Ye), The Man Who Turned Into a Photocopier (Joshua Ip), Anaesthesia (Andrew Cheah)
favourites: I m d 1 in 10 (Victor Fernando R. Ocampo), Tenali Raman Redux (Jennani Durai), Mama at Owen Road (Gemma Pereira), Meat Bone Tea (Stephanie Ye), The Man Who Turned Into a Photocopier (Joshua Ip), Anaesthesia (Andrew Cheah)
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