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greeniezona's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This was an entirely random pick at the library. I think I recognized the cover style of Two Lines Press. After I checked it out, I almost didn't pick it up to read, as the featured goodreads reviews are not great, but I am glad I had faith in Two Lines Press, because I really enjoyed this collection and feel I learned so much about Malaysia in the process. These are the kinds of short stories where things are not tied up neatly at the end, but I found them each so immersive.
The stories center women, most of whom are incredibly constrained -- whether by university administration, Muslim reeducation camps, or actual cement walls. The imagery is intense and evocative, and while mostly set in present day, many of the stories verge into the surreal.
Because this is both translated and set in a culture I am unfamiliar with, I am sure there were layers of this book that missed me entirely. An author interview I found online about the collection did help a bit with context and what she was trying to do with these stories, but even coming into the stories with very little foreknowledge, the stories told me enough that I felt bewildered only where I believed they wanted me to be bewildered.
I would love to see more of Ho Sok Fong's work translated into English.
The stories center women, most of whom are incredibly constrained -- whether by university administration, Muslim reeducation camps, or actual cement walls. The imagery is intense and evocative, and while mostly set in present day, many of the stories verge into the surreal.
Because this is both translated and set in a culture I am unfamiliar with, I am sure there were layers of this book that missed me entirely. An author interview I found online about the collection did help a bit with context and what she was trying to do with these stories, but even coming into the stories with very little foreknowledge, the stories told me enough that I felt bewildered only where I believed they wanted me to be bewildered.
I would love to see more of Ho Sok Fong's work translated into English.
hnnnyglazed's review against another edition
3.0
All 9 poignant stories are perfectly depicted in tragically poetic phrases. Language and writing style can be quite hard to fathom at times but everything in this book sounds beautiful.
sharonbakar's review against another edition
3.0
Have very conflicted feelings about this collection of stories. I enjoyed the surreal and dreamlike quality of the stories. Ho represents a Malaysia I recognise and has the courage to push into territory that other Malaysian authors haven't tackled - like the rehabilitation centre for deviant Muslims in Animah, and the racial politics of higher education in the title story. Ho is an author prepared also to take risks in terms of her story telling - I was particularly intrigued by sudden shifts of point-of-view which snatch out the rug from under the reader's feet in Wind Through the Pineapple Leaves. The writing is atmospheric and there is some beautiful imagery (I loved the descriptions of the light shifts in sun and rain in March in a Small Town.)
What I didn't like about the book was that it was such a struggle. It was so hard to stay focused because the stories meander and drift so much and feel totally improvised (they felt like quickly written first drafts which needed to be shaped into something more readable). Above all, too often they just didn't engage me. I found The Chest so intensly annoying that I stopped reading the book at that point and didn't come back to it for over a year!
I'm wondering how much of the problems with the book are down to the translation and/or a lack of developmental editing, and how much to the work having come out of a very different literary tradition which I, as a Western oriented reader doesn't understand.
I don't feel that I'm done with this book yet. I want to reread it and reflect more deeply on these stories. I want to leave room to change my mind.
What I didn't like about the book was that it was such a struggle. It was so hard to stay focused because the stories meander and drift so much and feel totally improvised (they felt like quickly written first drafts which needed to be shaped into something more readable). Above all, too often they just didn't engage me. I found The Chest so intensly annoying that I stopped reading the book at that point and didn't come back to it for over a year!
I'm wondering how much of the problems with the book are down to the translation and/or a lack of developmental editing, and how much to the work having come out of a very different literary tradition which I, as a Western oriented reader doesn't understand.
I don't feel that I'm done with this book yet. I want to reread it and reflect more deeply on these stories. I want to leave room to change my mind.
drywit's review
2.0
A lot of these stories don't seem to have any point to them.
Maybe things got lost in translation.
Maybe things got lost in translation.
qomareads's review
3.0
Actual rating 2.8⭐️
Translated from the Chinese by Natascha Bruce. So much potential but this one just did not work for me. I felt really disconnected with the characters and stories mostly. This is a kind of book need to digest slowly.
The book mainly focuses about the women in Malaysia whether they were Chinese, Malay or an immigrants. It also focuses on political/religious censorship. With surrealism and dream like flow potent imaginary as the main themes of the book I found it rather unsettling most of the time. I was so lost most of the time.
Some of my favourites were
- The Wall
- Radio Drama
- Summer Tornado
- March in a Small Town
The stories threads of plots were written in a sprawling, loose style, which we as a reader can interpret it in our own ways. There are no fixed answers in the stories. It will be more fun if you just enjoy it as it is.
Translated from the Chinese by Natascha Bruce. So much potential but this one just did not work for me. I felt really disconnected with the characters and stories mostly. This is a kind of book need to digest slowly.
The book mainly focuses about the women in Malaysia whether they were Chinese, Malay or an immigrants. It also focuses on political/religious censorship. With surrealism and dream like flow potent imaginary as the main themes of the book I found it rather unsettling most of the time. I was so lost most of the time.
Some of my favourites were
- The Wall
- Radio Drama
- Summer Tornado
- March in a Small Town
The stories threads of plots were written in a sprawling, loose style, which we as a reader can interpret it in our own ways. There are no fixed answers in the stories. It will be more fun if you just enjoy it as it is.
dimanabookmark's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
inelegancies's review against another edition
5.0
each of these stories feels like waking up from a dream and carrying it on the backs of your eyelids for the rest of the day. i did not find them convoluted as other readers did, but rather deeply layered and chimerical. there is some inescapable element of unease in all of them. the last one, ‘march in a small town’ is now one of my favorite short stories ever.
dreesreads's review against another edition
4.0
The stories in this collection all focus on young women, who may be teens to 40ish. Several have a touch of surrealism, or "magical realism" (I'm not sure this term can be applied to Malaysian lit?), or just an interesting not-quite-supernatural twist. All give a taste of Malaysian society, weather, culture, and expectation on women.
I liked all of these stories, though right now I would pick my favorite as "Wind Through the Pineapple Leaves, Through the Frangipani"--which takes place at a home for pregnant single women, though perhaps it is a mental institution as well?
Others I really liked:
October--about a young woman and a pirate.
March in A Small Town--a young woman working at her aunt's hotel tries to understand a man who comes in daily yet he doesn't remember her.
Summer Tornado--a stepmother at a water park with her husband and stepkids
Translated from Chinese.
I liked all of these stories, though right now I would pick my favorite as "Wind Through the Pineapple Leaves, Through the Frangipani"--which takes place at a home for pregnant single women, though perhaps it is a mental institution as well?
Others I really liked:
October--about a young woman and a pirate.
March in A Small Town--a young woman working at her aunt's hotel tries to understand a man who comes in daily yet he doesn't remember her.
Summer Tornado--a stepmother at a water park with her husband and stepkids
Translated from Chinese.