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A review by misspalah
Little Basket 2016: New Malaysian Writing by Catalina Rembuyan, Kris Williamson, Angeline Woon, Ted Mahsun, Timothy Nakayama, Choong JayVee, Marc de Faoite, Lee Ee Leen, Tshiung Han See
4.0
“But to the city at large we were just Asians, most of us with recognizably Chinese features. We were merged together with the rest of the huge East Asian diaspora that filled the city with medicinal herbs and cheap take-outs and medical school graduates. But we resisted the stereotypes, we were Malaysians, we would say proudly, and we were not like the others. And so that was us at the start of our university years, alive and full of energy. But for them Malaysia always beckoned. They would always return there. I wasn't so sure. My future was hazy but I had already felt the first sneaking suspicions that I would not be going back. For then we lived headily in the city of bright lights”.
- Diaspora by William Tham Wai Liang (Little Basket, New Malaysian Writing 2016)
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It would be weird not to pick up this one after i have read Little Basket Malaysian Writing 2017 and 2018 months ago. As usual, the collection of stories can be hit and miss but with that expectation in my mind, i enjoyed this way more than the others. Funny how our brain were wired that way. This collection featured poems, comics, anecdotes and short stories - some were horrors, some were sci-fi , some were thrillers and some were just simply personal thoughts. I have shared some of the stories that i liked from the book in the following parts.
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My Individual Rating for these stories:
Rating : 5/5
1. Diaspora by William Tham Wai Liang - On the identity of wanderer, neither rooted nor belonged to the birth country.
2. Transbotica by Julya Oui - When android regained consciousness and being self aware of her gender.
3. The Bloody Keris by Angeline Woon - What if Puteri Gunung Ledang story were told in the POV of Sultan Mahmud’s Son.
4. Local Fauna by Zedeck Siew & Sharon Chin - The quirky description of Nature that existed in Malaysia.
5. Full Circle by Terence Toh - Predestination or Serendipity?
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Rating : 4/5
1. Love Potion No. 5 by Chua Kok Yee
2. Wanton Noodles by Ling Low
3. The Pawn Shop by Eileen Lian
4. Striving After Wind by Tilon Sagulu
5. No More by Murugasu SHANmughalingam
6. How Broken Is My Air-cond by Choong Jay Vee
7. Man On The 22nd Floor by Tunku Halim
8. Breeding Ground by Edwin Kho & Julya Oui
9. 21 Across by Lean Ka-Min
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Rating : 3/5
1. The Green Fuse by Marc de Faoite
2. Family Business by Kris Williamson
3. Red King, Asleep in the Garden by Foo Sek Han
4. Wang Kelian by Zhou Sivan
5. Monsters by Cassandra Khaw
6. Diarrhea by Jin Hien Lau
7. Abracadabra by Timothy Nakayama
.
- Diaspora by William Tham Wai Liang (Little Basket, New Malaysian Writing 2016)
.
.
It would be weird not to pick up this one after i have read Little Basket Malaysian Writing 2017 and 2018 months ago. As usual, the collection of stories can be hit and miss but with that expectation in my mind, i enjoyed this way more than the others. Funny how our brain were wired that way. This collection featured poems, comics, anecdotes and short stories - some were horrors, some were sci-fi , some were thrillers and some were just simply personal thoughts. I have shared some of the stories that i liked from the book in the following parts.
.
My Individual Rating for these stories:
Rating : 5/5
1. Diaspora by William Tham Wai Liang - On the identity of wanderer, neither rooted nor belonged to the birth country.
2. Transbotica by Julya Oui - When android regained consciousness and being self aware of her gender.
3. The Bloody Keris by Angeline Woon - What if Puteri Gunung Ledang story were told in the POV of Sultan Mahmud’s Son.
4. Local Fauna by Zedeck Siew & Sharon Chin - The quirky description of Nature that existed in Malaysia.
5. Full Circle by Terence Toh - Predestination or Serendipity?
.
Rating : 4/5
1. Love Potion No. 5 by Chua Kok Yee
2. Wanton Noodles by Ling Low
3. The Pawn Shop by Eileen Lian
4. Striving After Wind by Tilon Sagulu
5. No More by Murugasu SHANmughalingam
6. How Broken Is My Air-cond by Choong Jay Vee
7. Man On The 22nd Floor by Tunku Halim
8. Breeding Ground by Edwin Kho & Julya Oui
9. 21 Across by Lean Ka-Min
.
Rating : 3/5
1. The Green Fuse by Marc de Faoite
2. Family Business by Kris Williamson
3. Red King, Asleep in the Garden by Foo Sek Han
4. Wang Kelian by Zhou Sivan
5. Monsters by Cassandra Khaw
6. Diarrhea by Jin Hien Lau
7. Abracadabra by Timothy Nakayama
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