A review by sometimes_iread
Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher by Muhammad Izdi, Suffian Hakim

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oh this was hilarious! Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher by Suffian Hakim was filled with laughs from cover to cover and I just could not stop chuckling at the well-placed wisecracks. Harry Potter has been a much beloved series since childhood and having Hakim parody it was a great way to revisit it as an adult. 

Besides poking holes in the original subject matter’s logic, Hakim wove in Singaporean social commentary. Now, I’m not the best person to talk about social issues since I usually live my life under a rock. Talking about racial issues is even tougher since I belong to the majority race in sunny Singapore. In Harris, Hakim talks about being Malay in a society that has rather skewed perceptions of being Malay. From the completely fabricated but pervasive view of the Malay as always lepak one corner to the notion of having to hide one’s Malay roots to be able to get ahead. Even the villain was a Malay trying to stamp out Malayness as a result of buy-in to such flawed views. Yes, the book is funny and most of the jokes land, but there are definitely deeper issues to mull over should one choose to.

Diversity meter:

Malay experience