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A review by jelundberg
Ponti by Sharlene Teo
2.0
I need to preface this by saying that I’m a fan of Sharlene’s writing. I’ve even published her in LONTAR and Best New Singaporean Short Stories. And I went into this novel really wanting to like it. Which is why reading it was frustrating.
I felt throughout held at arm’s length by the author. Even though I am told about our three protagonists, I never got invited into their experiences, which left me cold as a reader. Even the first-person chapters are surprisingly light on interiority.
In fact, the third-person chapters following the life of Amisa, from leaving her kampung to filming the Ponti movies to her disappointment as a failed starlet and mother, were the only ones to catch my interest, yet they only occupy a third of the narrative. Szu’s and Circe’s stories just can’t compare.
It is entirely possible that I am not the audience for this novel, but for someone rooting for Sharlene to succeed, and who understands much of the cultural context that the book explores, I’m sad that it just didn’t connect.
I felt throughout held at arm’s length by the author. Even though I am told about our three protagonists, I never got invited into their experiences, which left me cold as a reader. Even the first-person chapters are surprisingly light on interiority.
In fact, the third-person chapters following the life of Amisa, from leaving her kampung to filming the Ponti movies to her disappointment as a failed starlet and mother, were the only ones to catch my interest, yet they only occupy a third of the narrative. Szu’s and Circe’s stories just can’t compare.
It is entirely possible that I am not the audience for this novel, but for someone rooting for Sharlene to succeed, and who understands much of the cultural context that the book explores, I’m sad that it just didn’t connect.