A review by sometimes_iread
Ministry of Moral Panic by Amanda Lee Koe

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really should stop procrastinating writing my reviews, especially for books that I’m not entirely sure on how to approach. After the past few days, I’m left with barely any details of each individual story in Ministry of Moral Panic by Amanda Lee Koe, just a vague feeling of unease. 

I wonder if this unease stems from how different the characters in Lee’s short stories are from what I expect from narratives about Singapore. Most of her characters live on the fringes of society, from the aged and infirm to the very much single office lady, from the domestic helper transplanted to our shores to Maria Hertogh, plucked from her adoptive family and shipped to the Netherlands. Yet, each and every one of them are quintessentially Singaporean, chafing against the societal mould and longing to be free. It sounds so trite when I phrase it as such but Lee’s prose is anything but. 

I do think that some of the stories deserve multiple readings and I actually might do so! Wow, is Lee actually going to convert me to reading more short stories? 

Diversity meter:

Singaporean characters