Reviews

Ministerstwo moralnej paniki by Amanda Lee Koe

Only show reviews with written explanations

olivcho's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective fast-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

I’m not sure how to rate this collection of stories. It’s rare that a short stories collection feels like an even experience and this anthology is no exception to this rule. I definitely enjoyed some stories more than others with the highlights for me being “Laundromat” and “Carousel & Fort”. “Carousel & Fort” really brought me back to art school days - I know just THAT guy! Overall, the biggest appeal of these stories is the feeling of familiarity - I know these people or I have been these people even if just for a brief moment. The universal human experience of loneliness, yearning, love, pain, suffering, anxiety and the multitude of perverse ways those can manifest. Especially in the “othered.” The low points of the book for me were “Two Ways To Do This” and “Fourteen Enteries from the Diary of Maria Hertogh”. Whilst the latter I simply found rather dull and a bit of a strange choice stylistically among all the other stories the former was far more jarring and rubbed me the wrong way. While I really enjoy Koe’s writing style, in this particular story it felt sterile and their lyrical rawness didn’t feel quite as genuine. I don’t like playing into “Americanisms” but part of me couldn’t help but wonder whether Koe, as a Chinese Singaporean, was in a position to convincingly write from the persecution and experience of a domestic worker. Their ideal of radical empathy didn’t seem to completely showcase itself for me here. I ,at least, wasn’t impressed with the result. I guess that’s the one moment in the book ,perhaps, which awakened some form of “moral panic” in me; thus on that… good job, I suppose? In an anthology which deals a lot with race, ethnicity, class and social standings as they manifest themselves in Singaporean realities, I guess, I expected more something different when confronted with this particular perspective. However, it’s something that is close to my heart therefore I recognise that perhaps I am not judging it fairly… Overall, despite this brief criticism, I do really see why Ministry of Moral Panic deserves its place among the modern canon of Singlit and I will definitely explore Koe’s other works in the future! For now it hovers in the 3,5-4 territory for me!

Content Warnings

basia's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

oliwiapre's review

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adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

augureader's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

3.5

I picked this one up on a whim after getting "Author born in my hometown" on my TBR game. I actually didn't even realise it was a collection of short stories until I finished the first one... "A" for attention to detail, there. The stories felt like they were written by someone who emigrated out of Singapore in its language and content. Personally, I enjoyed them quite a bit - some more than others as it happens with collections. However, I didn't vibe with the way any of them were concluded, as it felt a bit too rushed and non-specific for me. I was heavily invested in most of them right until the end. I feel like there should have longer stories with more than simply a topic sentence ending the last paragraph or two.

I'd recommend this collection of stories for anyone looking for a fast and engaging read or for something set in Singapore/Asia.