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cherryalienfairy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
this was a book assigned to me for one of my literature modules and i thoroughly enjoyed the collection of short stories from all
the different characters.
the different characters.
rujein's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Picked up this book as a quick read to complete my reading challenge for the year. The "sketches" in this book are a few pages at most, and so are more suited to drawing out quick ideas or insights, or catching a fleeting moment/emotion, rather than to generating any sort of emotional investment on the reader's part.
Was interesting to see a Malay/Muslim perspective on life in Singapore, as a Chinese, but I also wondered how "representative" the book was of the MM community (not that it has to be), considering Sa'at's own background and how much attention was devoted to characters who felt somewhat alienated from the community. Sa'at is not a 'literary' writer but he excels at choosing which moments to portray and what to make the characters say.
The first sketch, The Convert, is from the perspective of a Chinese convert to the religion, following his marriage to a MM woman. Not sure if Sa'at chose to start with this piece, to 'ease' the (probably majority-race) reader into this book from a minority perpsective, but it did the job. The sudden, if subtle, change in the way Jason was regarded/treated at work jolts us into the realisation that life for a minority race is very different in Singapore. And the final, very brief, paragraph which makes us realise that the change in the way other Singaporeans view and treat Jason, have changed the way he views and treats Singapore too...
The second sketch, Losing Touch, shows us how the world can be confusing for a young minority-race student. There are 'protocols' which are widely-accepted by the rest of Singapore, which may be contrary to customs which are as widely-accepted and taken-for-granted by the minority community. Such a contradiction causes a logical dilemma for our young protagonist, but those around her, who should see the logic of her thinking, have somehow allowed the broader Singaporean 'protocol' to outweigh the MM 'protocol' without question. This sketch is perhaps the precursor of a few other sketches in the book about MM young people who find that they fit in an odd place between the MM community and their social milieu. Cold Comfort is one of these - though it is uncertain what the cold comfort is referring to here? The cold comfort of a young MM doctor who is able to remove himself from an uncomfortable less privileged world at ease; the cold comfort of the young unwed girl to imagine that her child could one day be a doctor as well?
The blurriness of the line between the two categories of race and status is even more explicitly alluded to in Shallow Focus, where a mother insists on taking family portraits after her son's convocation, to which her son says "When did we become a Chinese family?". To the mother, her son's university graduation has elevated the family to the status of a Chinese family, and the coincidence of her son's Chinese ex-academic rival being the photographer feels like a triumph. The irony is that, while she is holding herself and her family to these 'Chinese family' standards, her son's ex-academic rival no longer holds himself to the same.
Was interesting to see a Malay/Muslim perspective on life in Singapore, as a Chinese, but I also wondered how "representative" the book was of the MM community (not that it has to be), considering Sa'at's own background and how much attention was devoted to characters who felt somewhat alienated from the community. Sa'at is not a 'literary' writer but he excels at choosing which moments to portray and what to make the characters say.
The first sketch, The Convert, is from the perspective of a Chinese convert to the religion, following his marriage to a MM woman. Not sure if Sa'at chose to start with this piece, to 'ease' the (probably majority-race) reader into this book from a minority perpsective, but it did the job. The sudden, if subtle, change in the way Jason was regarded/treated at work jolts us into the realisation that life for a minority race is very different in Singapore. And the final, very brief, paragraph which makes us realise that the change in the way other Singaporeans view and treat Jason, have changed the way he views and treats Singapore too...
The second sketch, Losing Touch, shows us how the world can be confusing for a young minority-race student. There are 'protocols' which are widely-accepted by the rest of Singapore, which may be contrary to customs which are as widely-accepted and taken-for-granted by the minority community. Such a contradiction causes a logical dilemma for our young protagonist, but those around her, who should see the logic of her thinking, have somehow allowed the broader Singaporean 'protocol' to outweigh the MM 'protocol' without question. This sketch is perhaps the precursor of a few other sketches in the book about MM young people who find that they fit in an odd place between the MM community and their social milieu. Cold Comfort is one of these - though it is uncertain what the cold comfort is referring to here? The cold comfort of a young MM doctor who is able to remove himself from an uncomfortable less privileged world at ease; the cold comfort of the young unwed girl to imagine that her child could one day be a doctor as well?
The blurriness of the line between the two categories of race and status is even more explicitly alluded to in Shallow Focus, where a mother insists on taking family portraits after her son's convocation, to which her son says "When did we become a Chinese family?". To the mother, her son's university graduation has elevated the family to the status of a Chinese family, and the coincidence of her son's Chinese ex-academic rival being the photographer feels like a triumph. The irony is that, while she is holding herself and her family to these 'Chinese family' standards, her son's ex-academic rival no longer holds himself to the same.
windupsheep's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
smarkies's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dreamsinfiction's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
This was a refreshing read - I liked how Alfian Saat went beyond the normal characterisations of the community, and portrayed us as normal human beings too.
Favourites are: The Convert, Village Radio, After the Dusk Prayers, The Howling
Favourites are: The Convert, Village Radio, After the Dusk Prayers, The Howling
slightlyliterary's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A collection of (really, REALLY short—like 1-5 pages) stories that read as snapshots of the lived experiences of Malays in Singapore. I really enjoyed its slice-of-life presentation and its exploration of feelings/thoughts throughout one’s day-to-day routines. Would encourage everyone to give this a go!
Side note; I should read more of Alfian Sa’at’s short stories because these ones were toooo short for my liking; there were some that made me wish they were longer.
Some stories I liked:
- Cold Comfort
- The Sendoff
- A Howling
- Reunion
- A Toyol Story
- Second Take
- The Drawer
- Visitors
- Two Brothers
Side note; I should read more of Alfian Sa’at’s short stories because these ones were toooo short for my liking; there were some that made me wish they were longer.
Some stories I liked:
- Cold Comfort
- The Sendoff
- A Howling
- Reunion
- A Toyol Story
- Second Take
- The Drawer
- Visitors
- Two Brothers
wrackcity's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
arifahmalik's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
diyanah's review
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0