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A review by ohsoreads
The Desire for Elsewhere by Agnes Chew
5.0
If I could describe this book as anything, it would be a ticket - a pass - a permission to take a dive into our deepest thoughts & emotions. To rediscover, reconnect & explore the past, present and future intimately. I have never been one who is too keen on picking up a sing-lit (Singapore literature) out of whim. But this book appealed to me just based off its summary. Now that I’ve taken my dive in it, here are my other thoughts:
It is a mix of fiction & non-fiction; Agnes Chew’s exploration of a wanderlust theme & her own travel stories around the globe, meeting all kinds of beings & seeking their opinion on certain topics. This book rummaged through my thoughts & enabled a reflection on how I view my memories & experiences. It made me realise that memories with friends and loved ones are often seen through rose tinted glasses - but is it bad? That depends. But it doesn’t matter to anyone else but you because it is yours to begin with.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the easy to read & beautifully (and almost magical) written phrases. I appreciate that I could build a connection with it. I felt touched & comforted by this book. The child within myself, this trying-adult & constantly at existential crisis bean that I am, feels heard & am mustering up some courage to take on my next adventure. Thank you Agnes Chew!! The Desire For Elsewhere has been a wonderful read & this is only the beginning of my book journey with local authors!
Here on I leave a couple of my favourite highlights:
“Were we all to create and curate a museum illustrating the Essence of our beings, how might each one of these museums look like? Each article cradled within the museum’s walls, perceived through the eyes of the visitor as so plainly ordinary, in fact wields the power to evoke intense emotions redolent of lost lives, if we only ventured to uncover their stories.
Come along with me. Let us go wandering. There are countless stories awaiting our discovery.” (Nostalgia, The Archaeology Of Our Beings)
“One of the hardest things in life is the act of saying goodbye. If only it were as simple as saying goodbye for now, and see you again. Would it still be the same you I see, the next time we meet? Or the same me, for that matter? For to part with a person or place often also means having to say goodbye to a particular state of being or phase in your life.” (Nostalgia, The World We Leave Behind)
“For every reality that is, there exists a hundred other parallel realities. Which one we perceive depends therefore on how we choose to see.” (Parallel Planets, Other Ways Of Seeing)
It is a mix of fiction & non-fiction; Agnes Chew’s exploration of a wanderlust theme & her own travel stories around the globe, meeting all kinds of beings & seeking their opinion on certain topics. This book rummaged through my thoughts & enabled a reflection on how I view my memories & experiences. It made me realise that memories with friends and loved ones are often seen through rose tinted glasses - but is it bad? That depends. But it doesn’t matter to anyone else but you because it is yours to begin with.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the easy to read & beautifully (and almost magical) written phrases. I appreciate that I could build a connection with it. I felt touched & comforted by this book. The child within myself, this trying-adult & constantly at existential crisis bean that I am, feels heard & am mustering up some courage to take on my next adventure. Thank you Agnes Chew!! The Desire For Elsewhere has been a wonderful read & this is only the beginning of my book journey with local authors!
Here on I leave a couple of my favourite highlights:
“Were we all to create and curate a museum illustrating the Essence of our beings, how might each one of these museums look like? Each article cradled within the museum’s walls, perceived through the eyes of the visitor as so plainly ordinary, in fact wields the power to evoke intense emotions redolent of lost lives, if we only ventured to uncover their stories.
Come along with me. Let us go wandering. There are countless stories awaiting our discovery.” (Nostalgia, The Archaeology Of Our Beings)
“One of the hardest things in life is the act of saying goodbye. If only it were as simple as saying goodbye for now, and see you again. Would it still be the same you I see, the next time we meet? Or the same me, for that matter? For to part with a person or place often also means having to say goodbye to a particular state of being or phase in your life.” (Nostalgia, The World We Leave Behind)
“For every reality that is, there exists a hundred other parallel realities. Which one we perceive depends therefore on how we choose to see.” (Parallel Planets, Other Ways Of Seeing)