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ngudle's review
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
simmerinwords's review against another edition
3.0
I don't read much singlit and was super excited to dive into this one. The storyline is pretty unique. We follow a main character who's a literature teacher in a local junior college (I really love teacher characters), get a glimpse into homelessness (something I don't read a lot about, especially in Singapore) and everyday issues - dealing with societal expectations, marriage, relationships.
The main character, Sukhin, was such a grumpy and practical character and I adored that. Not everybody is rainbows and butterflies, and I appreciate when authors craft characters who have flaws that are relatable. Some chapters were written in the POV of the side characters and I enjoyed seeing him through their lenses as well.
I also enjoyed the easy interaction between Sukhin and Jinn (his ex-lover). Not wholly romantic, but they had a special connection that came with being ex-lovers.
However, my issue with this book is how there's so much more to offer. I wanted more information on the volunteers at the soup kitchens, the lives of the homeless, Sukhin's school life, Jinn's back story etc. A lot of these details were condensed and resulted in a surface level examination of these issues.
And also, the ambiguous ending did not work for me.
Nonetheless, there were some interesting points brought up by the book. Like how although the depiction of Sukhin's unassuming life that may seem boring, it is in fact, a glaring reflection of what many of our lives may turn out to be eventually. Some food for thought on how we can unknowingly get sucked into a life of routine and mundanity.
Would recommend this book for a glimpse into Singapore society but don't expect a deep examination.
The main character, Sukhin, was such a grumpy and practical character and I adored that. Not everybody is rainbows and butterflies, and I appreciate when authors craft characters who have flaws that are relatable. Some chapters were written in the POV of the side characters and I enjoyed seeing him through their lenses as well.
I also enjoyed the easy interaction between Sukhin and Jinn (his ex-lover). Not wholly romantic, but they had a special connection that came with being ex-lovers.
However, my issue with this book is how there's so much more to offer. I wanted more information on the volunteers at the soup kitchens, the lives of the homeless, Sukhin's school life, Jinn's back story etc. A lot of these details were condensed and resulted in a surface level examination of these issues.
And also, the ambiguous ending did not work for me.
Nonetheless, there were some interesting points brought up by the book. Like how although the depiction of Sukhin's unassuming life that may seem boring, it is in fact, a glaring reflection of what many of our lives may turn out to be eventually. Some food for thought on how we can unknowingly get sucked into a life of routine and mundanity.
Would recommend this book for a glimpse into Singapore society but don't expect a deep examination.
anatomier's review against another edition
4.0
“The older I am, the more I regret the distances untravelled. And the boundaries I let people convince me were there.”
There’s something romantic about returning to an old place - be it your JC or even a place like Chinatown. The latter is where Sukhin, a thirty-five year old teacher, finds himself confronting memories he thought he had left behind in the former. For me, the heart of the novel is memory. It asks existential questions about modernity and living in Singapore in a way that doesn’t demand answers. Instead, we can gently fold them away to be taken out at a better time. After all, that’s what we Singaporeans do best right? Stay in our boxes and prepare for rainy days? In addition to the metaphor of boxes, I liked the one about food too - especially cake. When I tell people I don’t like cake, what I really mean is that I don’t like that cloying quality of cream sticking to my throat. But if you’re talking about chiffon, you’ve got me - and that is how I would describe this novel: light enough, with an even distribution of air bubbles, flavourful but a little sweet on the side. I’ll need more to resurface from the bottom of the sea.
There’s something romantic about returning to an old place - be it your JC or even a place like Chinatown. The latter is where Sukhin, a thirty-five year old teacher, finds himself confronting memories he thought he had left behind in the former. For me, the heart of the novel is memory. It asks existential questions about modernity and living in Singapore in a way that doesn’t demand answers. Instead, we can gently fold them away to be taken out at a better time. After all, that’s what we Singaporeans do best right? Stay in our boxes and prepare for rainy days? In addition to the metaphor of boxes, I liked the one about food too - especially cake. When I tell people I don’t like cake, what I really mean is that I don’t like that cloying quality of cream sticking to my throat. But if you’re talking about chiffon, you’ve got me - and that is how I would describe this novel: light enough, with an even distribution of air bubbles, flavourful but a little sweet on the side. I’ll need more to resurface from the bottom of the sea.
pigscanflyy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
suipingt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nicreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise and honestly, I actually felt some affinity with the main character, Sukhin. However, I think that the so-called romantic interest was bland and made out to be a manic pixie girl at times which made me increasingly annoyed the more I read the book. The writer could have helped ease some of the mysterious parts but it often seemed like she couldn’t be bothered to try to flesh out this ‘purposefully’ elusive character. Also, I didn’t like that there were too many stereotypes in the book which made the book fall flat for me at the end.
Another round of edits could have helped (I think) to clean up the book better.
Another round of edits could have helped (I think) to clean up the book better.
saarakatyal's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't care so much for the plot but I loved the protagonist, Sukhin. Reading about him going about his daily life is delightful.
starduest's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this but would've loved to learn more about Jinn's backstory. It's a lovely fairytale but its take on homelessness and mental illness seems rather romanticised
dustyduck's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book I'm looking for- so strongly grounded in Singapore, relatable situations and sharp dialogue. If you forced me to put it in a genre it would be romance, but in a way it is just a book about life too. For the working adults here, or hell, even if you even took lit in JC, an unmissable read.
manmanreads's review
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5