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misspalah's review
3.0
"We can accept the results but we still have to look for the cause. You ran away that time. From the tiger. I've become old and wiser. When I look back I see you and others like you as the cause. We lived well, may be too peacefully, before you all came with your ideas and energies. Ideas that can even destroy the tiger, the oldest symbol of our civilization. You gave up everything to come to this land. We offered you what we had. But you all became greedy and wouldn't share. Saw no other world but the world of progress and money. And we had to make the sacrifices.
This time I want you to experience what my son went through."
- In a far country by KS Maniam
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I don’t know how to review this book. I felt i may not be able to articulate what his writing trying to achieve at the end of the day. ‘The return’ - his first book , for me, is much clearer than this one. We followed Rajan’s narration on seeing what life has to offer for being Malaysian Indian in the 80s. Rajan is a complex soul as we can see sometimes his memories recalled the pain of seeing his helpless father drowning himself in liquor. He understood that way how his father survived by leaving his country behind to made living in Malaysia. Afterwards, we readers were being introduced with Lee Shin, whom Rajan referred as colleague. Rajan did observe Lee Shin and his peculiar way of trying to emphasise his allegiance to Chinese Culture. As for Zulkifli, whom Rajan met a short while when he’s young in attempt to meet with a tiger, they reconnected again once Rajan is in his middle age. I believe these 2 characters that Rajan met is essential for him to understand the race identity even though his understanding remains limited. The writing is disjointed , the characters can be all over the place (for example, Mani whom i thought is a person only after passed many pages that i realised it is a goat) and the plot takes time to be indulged. While i appreciate the attempt of cultural collision as Maniam tried to establish as the plot tool, i felt it is over ambitious for 200 pages book. It is undeniable that KS Maniam can write and his prose is a *chef kiss* but if i were to choose to recommend which of his books i like, the return is the one i would choose. The final chapter is the highlight for me when Rajan saw Santhi confronted her emotional baggage and childhood trauma - in the sense it did help Rajan understand her manner and attitude despite being husband and wife for for so many years. If only this is the main premise of the book, i may give this 4 stars. Overall, read at your own risk unless Rushdie and Naipul is among your favourite authors, then this one should be palatable for you.
This time I want you to experience what my son went through."
- In a far country by KS Maniam
.
.
I don’t know how to review this book. I felt i may not be able to articulate what his writing trying to achieve at the end of the day. ‘The return’ - his first book , for me, is much clearer than this one. We followed Rajan’s narration on seeing what life has to offer for being Malaysian Indian in the 80s. Rajan is a complex soul as we can see sometimes his memories recalled the pain of seeing his helpless father drowning himself in liquor. He understood that way how his father survived by leaving his country behind to made living in Malaysia. Afterwards, we readers were being introduced with Lee Shin, whom Rajan referred as colleague. Rajan did observe Lee Shin and his peculiar way of trying to emphasise his allegiance to Chinese Culture. As for Zulkifli, whom Rajan met a short while when he’s young in attempt to meet with a tiger, they reconnected again once Rajan is in his middle age. I believe these 2 characters that Rajan met is essential for him to understand the race identity even though his understanding remains limited. The writing is disjointed , the characters can be all over the place (for example, Mani whom i thought is a person only after passed many pages that i realised it is a goat) and the plot takes time to be indulged. While i appreciate the attempt of cultural collision as Maniam tried to establish as the plot tool, i felt it is over ambitious for 200 pages book. It is undeniable that KS Maniam can write and his prose is a *chef kiss* but if i were to choose to recommend which of his books i like, the return is the one i would choose. The final chapter is the highlight for me when Rajan saw Santhi confronted her emotional baggage and childhood trauma - in the sense it did help Rajan understand her manner and attitude despite being husband and wife for for so many years. If only this is the main premise of the book, i may give this 4 stars. Overall, read at your own risk unless Rushdie and Naipul is among your favourite authors, then this one should be palatable for you.
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