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A review by nbren
The Keepers of Stories by Suffian Hakim
4.0
The Keeper of Secrets is another classic Singlit i’ve had the pleasure of reading this year, and all I have to say is that it was an intriguing & fulfilling read from the very beginning to the end. The story follows a single father who brought his two young children to live in a tiny mystical village on the shores of Changi Beach amongst the Anai Bumi (children of the earth) in an attempt to protect them from danger. A mesmerising tale filled with meaningful lessons to be learnt, Keeper of Secrets retells the power of stories in keeping the multi-cultural spirit of Singapore alive.
As a novel that represents the different racial groups in Singapore, I appreciated the author’s efforts to weave the different voices together throughout the course of the novel. His ability to draw the reader in with his simple use of literary language was one that I adored in this novel, as I found it relatively easy to follow through. Most importantly, the brilliant mix of mythology and folktales, as well as the subsequent transitions to reality was my favourite aspect of the novel, especially as someone who adores mythological retellings. However, I felt that the ending could have been explored a little bit more, especially with the sudden pirate attacks and the subsequent death of the Anak Bumi. I would have liked for the novel to have explored the alternate possibilities, as it would have been great to see the survival of the village despite the threats of civilisation. Nevertheless, the author was able to expertly weave in a wide tapestry of multicultural stories with the central concerns with reality, which I commend him for.
As a novel that represents the different racial groups in Singapore, I appreciated the author’s efforts to weave the different voices together throughout the course of the novel. His ability to draw the reader in with his simple use of literary language was one that I adored in this novel, as I found it relatively easy to follow through. Most importantly, the brilliant mix of mythology and folktales, as well as the subsequent transitions to reality was my favourite aspect of the novel, especially as someone who adores mythological retellings. However, I felt that the ending could have been explored a little bit more, especially with the sudden pirate attacks and the subsequent death of the Anak Bumi. I would have liked for the novel to have explored the alternate possibilities, as it would have been great to see the survival of the village despite the threats of civilisation. Nevertheless, the author was able to expertly weave in a wide tapestry of multicultural stories with the central concerns with reality, which I commend him for.