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aditirao's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-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? No
5.0
sebby_reads's review
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Something heavy was settling onto her, an unpleasant awareness that the world was aslant and she was at the higher end. What could she do?”
In his debut novel State of Emergency, Jeremy Tiang offers a slice of Singapore's history that is less discussed by people. This historical fiction delves into the tempestuous time of leftist movements and political detentions in Singapore and Malaysia. The novel also shortlisted for the 2016 Epigram Books Fiction prize. In 2018, Tiang won the prestigious Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction for this novel.
The novel comprises six parts and each narrated by six characters telling loosely connected stories through their own experiences and in different time frame. Jason's wife, Siew Li, left him with two children to fight for freedom in the jungle of Malaya. His sister died in MacDonald House bombing during the Konfrontasi. After losing the people he love in the political turmoil, Jason shut down. The children grew up knowing nothing about their mother. Siew Li recruited a Malaysian youth whose father was massacred during the Emergency to join the Communist. Stella, Jason's niece, was accused of conspiracy for Marxist conspirator and sent to detention without trial. Henry, Jason and Siew Li's son returned to Singapore after living in London for many years and discovered about his family's chronicle.
From the early years before Singapore gaining independence to present days, the book tells a devastating story of an extended family members tangled in the political turmoils. Differences in political opinion (or sometimes being indifferent) divide people but the fundamentals of being human also solace them. As told from multiple point of views, the writer imparts with a perfect blend of brilliant narratives. Precise and sharp in some parts with abrupt pace. When necessary, pensive and lyrical proses are used craftily.
Massive appreciation for the writer on his exhaustive research and competent storytelling. It is such an enthralling read on some invisible parts of the history. Impressive portrayal of women characters in this book. Strong and committed women as well as meek but powerful one are the foundations of this story. Men, too, are portrayed diversely. With the concoction of insightful information and unforgettable characters, Tiang takes his readers to the road less traveled by others and it certainly makes a huge difference.
In his debut novel State of Emergency, Jeremy Tiang offers a slice of Singapore's history that is less discussed by people. This historical fiction delves into the tempestuous time of leftist movements and political detentions in Singapore and Malaysia. The novel also shortlisted for the 2016 Epigram Books Fiction prize. In 2018, Tiang won the prestigious Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction for this novel.
The novel comprises six parts and each narrated by six characters telling loosely connected stories through their own experiences and in different time frame. Jason's wife, Siew Li, left him with two children to fight for freedom in the jungle of Malaya. His sister died in MacDonald House bombing during the Konfrontasi. After losing the people he love in the political turmoil, Jason shut down. The children grew up knowing nothing about their mother. Siew Li recruited a Malaysian youth whose father was massacred during the Emergency to join the Communist. Stella, Jason's niece, was accused of conspiracy for Marxist conspirator and sent to detention without trial. Henry, Jason and Siew Li's son returned to Singapore after living in London for many years and discovered about his family's chronicle.
From the early years before Singapore gaining independence to present days, the book tells a devastating story of an extended family members tangled in the political turmoils. Differences in political opinion (or sometimes being indifferent) divide people but the fundamentals of being human also solace them. As told from multiple point of views, the writer imparts with a perfect blend of brilliant narratives. Precise and sharp in some parts with abrupt pace. When necessary, pensive and lyrical proses are used craftily.
Massive appreciation for the writer on his exhaustive research and competent storytelling. It is such an enthralling read on some invisible parts of the history. Impressive portrayal of women characters in this book. Strong and committed women as well as meek but powerful one are the foundations of this story. Men, too, are portrayed diversely. With the concoction of insightful information and unforgettable characters, Tiang takes his readers to the road less traveled by others and it certainly makes a huge difference.
sammiseah's review
adventurous
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
neiljung78's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
A tender and moving novel. I found the characters utterly convincing.
slightlyliterary's review
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
A historical fiction that weaves a timeline from 1940s Singapore/Malaysia to the present. Exploring the tumultuous period of the Emergency and leftist movements across borders, this novel seeks to give readers a look into life at the time, as well as the perspectives of those entangled in it (both willing and unwillingly).
On the whole, I thought this was a very interesting read on yet another part of Singaporean history that remains obscured and minimised in our textbooks today (aka Operation Spectrum, Malayan communists etc.), but I also felt somewhat detached from the characters themselves, who at times felt like one-dimensional stereotypes without much depth. Moreover, I only felt a lot more invested in the story when it came to Stella and Henry's perspectives, which only occurs in the later half of the book.
Nonetheless, this still remains a great introduction to those who don't know much about this period of Singapore's history and I highly rec it to people who'd like to explore more of our past, but are intimidated by nonfic/academic text.
Note: This is all quick-fire word vomit immediately after reading, so I might edit this again later aha.
On the whole, I thought this was a very interesting read on yet another part of Singaporean history that remains obscured and minimised in our textbooks today (aka Operation Spectrum, Malayan communists etc.), but I also felt somewhat detached from the characters themselves, who at times felt like one-dimensional stereotypes without much depth. Moreover, I only felt a lot more invested in the story when it came to Stella and Henry's perspectives, which only occurs in the later half of the book.
Nonetheless, this still remains a great introduction to those who don't know much about this period of Singapore's history and I highly rec it to people who'd like to explore more of our past, but are intimidated by nonfic/academic text.
Note: This is all quick-fire word vomit immediately after reading, so I might edit this again later aha.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement
judithhuang's review
5.0
An elegant novel about leftists in Singapore from the 1940s to the present day, Jeremy tiang’s #stateofemergency is perfectly paced and has one of the most satisfying endings I have read. The love poured into the research and craft of this novel is obvious. There’s also a bonus cameo of @booksactually for those who recognize it in the last chapter. #singlitftw #judreads #bookreview #bookstagram #bookcover #bookish #singlit #sglitftw #ireadbooksactually @epigrambooks #ebfp #epigrambooks #girlswhoread
kastelpls's review
3.0
A couple stuck in time stares at potential readers and buyers of the book. This arresting image never leaves you once you open up the book and read the epitaph from Walter Benjamin’s The Philosophy of History and translated by Harry Zohn:
A page after, “Mollie Remedos died in the explosion that tore apart MacDonald House on 10 March 1965.” Jason, Mollie’s brother, swore revenge on the bombers and tasted justice when they were hanged on 17 October 1968. But his “instinct for revenge feels blunted” after fifty years have passed. Nothing has changed and he still feels the loss of his sister.
And he also loses his wife, Siew Li, to the same political turmoil. The married couple and four other people closely connected to them lose their innocence and livelihoods in very similar ways. Jason lives and dies in Singapore without ever meeting his wife again. Siew Li dreams of being a hero for Singapore and joined communist movements before getting separated from her husband and children. Nam Teck remembers his father being dragged to the forest and his mother and him moved about in fenced villages until he had enough and went to the capital city of Malaysia. Revathi’s parents tell her all about the Emergency as she begins to venture to Malaysia for a news scoop that will shock her life. Stella, Siew Li’s cousin, is in detention without trial for activities linked to communism. And Henry, Jason’s and Siew Li’s son, pays his respects to his father before searching for his mother in the outskirts of Malaysia.
All six cannot blame each other or themselves for their problems because their worlds are always in a state of emergency. A new emergency can rise up from nowhere and politicians must find scapegoats and sacrificial lambs to appease their citizens.
Even if the emergency is nonexistent.
These six stories show a Singapore and Malaysia that don’t belong to the official Singapore narrative the government has conjured up. It shows a Singapore paranoid by the first Indonesian president Sukarno’s rise to power and his communist party and a Malaysia torn apart by racism. Despite being set in different periods of time, the two countries are always alarmed by any sudden moves. They do not mind jailing or killing people cold-blooded in the open.
The most powerful chapter in the book has to be Stella’s imprisonment. Based on anecdotes on a real incident, her stories show how easy it is to be gaslighted in the Singapore prisons. Her interrogators questions her intention on helping foreign workers and whether she knows what she is doing is what the communists want. All Stella cares is that it’s not fair for them to be treated poorly, but the interrogators argue their way with the coldest logic that can only be derived from the principles of meritocratic societies:
Any sign of sympathy or empathy is seen as communistic behavior in Singapore. Nobody is born equal and deserve the same rights as others. Singapore is where it is today because it is unfair and unequal according to this logic.
And Cheng Mun, one of the interrogators, believes in that without any sense of shame. In fact, he says to Stella that she shouldn’t be ashamed either. She could do much more as a department head than the lowly position of a teacher:
Her “feeling of helplessness” she feels in every interrogation session makes her wonder if this is “really what she was saying”. Is she indeed helping the Communist cause in the Philippines to overthrow the Singapore government? That line of reasoning “is impossible to argue” in her mind and it is as if “every word that came from her mouth could be turned round to condemn her further.” Maybe she is a card-carrying communist threatening the establishment of Singapore. And she should be ashamed for her actions, for trying to help raise awareness for the maids who are paid low wages or none. Her rallies may be well-intentioned, but the interrogators show that they really are tools for the Communist parties to cause discord in Singaporean society.
That is how the political process of gaslighting worked and you find yourself intertwined with the bizarre doublespeak logic the government has forced upon you. It is the Orwellian nightmare come true but somehow worse. This guilt Stella has is real and needs to be felt by many people.
Because the state of emergency is the history of Singapore and Malaysia in this novel. Whoever the government blames becomes the victims and perpetrators at the same time according to history. Whether it be Siew Li who merely helps out organize perfectly legitimate campaigns or Stella who is doing God’s work for the needy and the poor, everyone is a criminal and a casualty. No one can escape this psychological state of emergencies, which has now been mandated as a statute in the law books.
What can be salvaged can only be done through a rekindling of who has survived this mess. A little bit of hope still exists, but hoping requires willpower and bravery. There are still plenty of stories untold in this lost history of time and it feels like the book is encouraging its readers to seek more of these kinds of tales.
I may be a bit biased in my speculation because this isn’t explicit in the text but in a talk by the writer in a Kinokuniya and Epigram Books panel last month. Together with fellow Epigram Fiction 2016 finalist O Thiam Chin, Jeremy Tiang talks about what it means to write a book about Singapore.
The society of Singapore is often seen in the perspective of English-educated Singaporean Chinese and that is blinding. He wants to write against that. A translator of eclectic Chinese writers like Zhang Yueran, Tiang wants to show what the other sides think of the country. He notices that communism in Singapore is barely talked about in English texts, despite its close ties to the independence of Singapore. So most of his sources according to his talk come from untranslated Chinese books about the communists in Singapore and Malaysia.
He is also a stickler for historical accuracy as he has traveled to all the locations mentioned in his book, even if he admits that “there’s probably nothing since it’s all in the past.” While he does let himself some artistic license, he is very meticulous with his facts which is present in the book. Tiang also gives little care about the controversy from Stella’s chapter, which may have caused the National Art Council to withdraw the grant money; he says that it is all based on accounts left by people who underwent the detention and stands by them and their pain.
And the book really thrives on his passion and empathy for the people who have lost their lives to the various emergencies in Singapore and Malaysia. This isn’t a perfect book at all; there are scenes that go on forever and it doesn’t always read nice aloud. I also feel it may have benefited from some more historical context too since I got lost in the book a couple of times. But there are many strong moments scattered throughout the book and it shows a part of history no one seems to know about.
That often means it will be uncomfortable, grueling, and challenging for anyone reading it. It shows the historical reality of life before us and how we should respect them as we move forward. We can still find some kind of harmony after these tragic events as long as know how to go past them and the lost time can be regained when we learn to hold each other’s hands again.
Adapted from The Singapore Political Novels: Let’s Give It Up for Gimme Lao! and State of Emergency.
“The history of the oppressed teaches us that the ‘state of emergency’ in which we live is not the exception but the rule.”
A page after, “Mollie Remedos died in the explosion that tore apart MacDonald House on 10 March 1965.” Jason, Mollie’s brother, swore revenge on the bombers and tasted justice when they were hanged on 17 October 1968. But his “instinct for revenge feels blunted” after fifty years have passed. Nothing has changed and he still feels the loss of his sister.
And he also loses his wife, Siew Li, to the same political turmoil. The married couple and four other people closely connected to them lose their innocence and livelihoods in very similar ways. Jason lives and dies in Singapore without ever meeting his wife again. Siew Li dreams of being a hero for Singapore and joined communist movements before getting separated from her husband and children. Nam Teck remembers his father being dragged to the forest and his mother and him moved about in fenced villages until he had enough and went to the capital city of Malaysia. Revathi’s parents tell her all about the Emergency as she begins to venture to Malaysia for a news scoop that will shock her life. Stella, Siew Li’s cousin, is in detention without trial for activities linked to communism. And Henry, Jason’s and Siew Li’s son, pays his respects to his father before searching for his mother in the outskirts of Malaysia.
All six cannot blame each other or themselves for their problems because their worlds are always in a state of emergency. A new emergency can rise up from nowhere and politicians must find scapegoats and sacrificial lambs to appease their citizens.
Even if the emergency is nonexistent.
These six stories show a Singapore and Malaysia that don’t belong to the official Singapore narrative the government has conjured up. It shows a Singapore paranoid by the first Indonesian president Sukarno’s rise to power and his communist party and a Malaysia torn apart by racism. Despite being set in different periods of time, the two countries are always alarmed by any sudden moves. They do not mind jailing or killing people cold-blooded in the open.
The most powerful chapter in the book has to be Stella’s imprisonment. Based on anecdotes on a real incident, her stories show how easy it is to be gaslighted in the Singapore prisons. Her interrogators questions her intention on helping foreign workers and whether she knows what she is doing is what the communists want. All Stella cares is that it’s not fair for them to be treated poorly, but the interrogators argue their way with the coldest logic that can only be derived from the principles of meritocratic societies:
“Do you want us all to be the same? You think everyone in society should earn the same money? That’s not possible. Some people work harder than others, some people are cleverer. If we did what you people want, then our society will never progress, and soon our women will have to go and be maids in other people’s countries are. Stella, we know who you are, you don’t have to pretend any more. Other people in your ring have already confessed. You want to destroy our society. You want to bring us all down to your level. Stella, we know that you are a communist.”
Any sign of sympathy or empathy is seen as communistic behavior in Singapore. Nobody is born equal and deserve the same rights as others. Singapore is where it is today because it is unfair and unequal according to this logic.
And Cheng Mun, one of the interrogators, believes in that without any sense of shame. In fact, he says to Stella that she shouldn’t be ashamed either. She could do much more as a department head than the lowly position of a teacher:
“We live in a meritocracy if you earn more money then it’s because you’re clever, you work harder than others. Why do you talk about being fair all the time? Do you think some people earn so much?”
“I never said that,” [said Stella.]
“But you complain that these maids, these people you are trying to help, they earn too little. If some people earn too little, then some people must be earning too much. Am I right?”
Her “feeling of helplessness” she feels in every interrogation session makes her wonder if this is “really what she was saying”. Is she indeed helping the Communist cause in the Philippines to overthrow the Singapore government? That line of reasoning “is impossible to argue” in her mind and it is as if “every word that came from her mouth could be turned round to condemn her further.” Maybe she is a card-carrying communist threatening the establishment of Singapore. And she should be ashamed for her actions, for trying to help raise awareness for the maids who are paid low wages or none. Her rallies may be well-intentioned, but the interrogators show that they really are tools for the Communist parties to cause discord in Singaporean society.
That is how the political process of gaslighting worked and you find yourself intertwined with the bizarre doublespeak logic the government has forced upon you. It is the Orwellian nightmare come true but somehow worse. This guilt Stella has is real and needs to be felt by many people.
Because the state of emergency is the history of Singapore and Malaysia in this novel. Whoever the government blames becomes the victims and perpetrators at the same time according to history. Whether it be Siew Li who merely helps out organize perfectly legitimate campaigns or Stella who is doing God’s work for the needy and the poor, everyone is a criminal and a casualty. No one can escape this psychological state of emergencies, which has now been mandated as a statute in the law books.
What can be salvaged can only be done through a rekindling of who has survived this mess. A little bit of hope still exists, but hoping requires willpower and bravery. There are still plenty of stories untold in this lost history of time and it feels like the book is encouraging its readers to seek more of these kinds of tales.
I may be a bit biased in my speculation because this isn’t explicit in the text but in a talk by the writer in a Kinokuniya and Epigram Books panel last month. Together with fellow Epigram Fiction 2016 finalist O Thiam Chin, Jeremy Tiang talks about what it means to write a book about Singapore.
The society of Singapore is often seen in the perspective of English-educated Singaporean Chinese and that is blinding. He wants to write against that. A translator of eclectic Chinese writers like Zhang Yueran, Tiang wants to show what the other sides think of the country. He notices that communism in Singapore is barely talked about in English texts, despite its close ties to the independence of Singapore. So most of his sources according to his talk come from untranslated Chinese books about the communists in Singapore and Malaysia.
He is also a stickler for historical accuracy as he has traveled to all the locations mentioned in his book, even if he admits that “there’s probably nothing since it’s all in the past.” While he does let himself some artistic license, he is very meticulous with his facts which is present in the book. Tiang also gives little care about the controversy from Stella’s chapter, which may have caused the National Art Council to withdraw the grant money; he says that it is all based on accounts left by people who underwent the detention and stands by them and their pain.
And the book really thrives on his passion and empathy for the people who have lost their lives to the various emergencies in Singapore and Malaysia. This isn’t a perfect book at all; there are scenes that go on forever and it doesn’t always read nice aloud. I also feel it may have benefited from some more historical context too since I got lost in the book a couple of times. But there are many strong moments scattered throughout the book and it shows a part of history no one seems to know about.
That often means it will be uncomfortable, grueling, and challenging for anyone reading it. It shows the historical reality of life before us and how we should respect them as we move forward. We can still find some kind of harmony after these tragic events as long as know how to go past them and the lost time can be regained when we learn to hold each other’s hands again.
Adapted from The Singapore Political Novels: Let’s Give It Up for Gimme Lao! and State of Emergency.
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