ackatienza's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aqilahreads's review
3.0
this book is about two young sisters, anna & angie. one day, their grandmother got sick and was admitted to hospital. both sisters were told by their parents to stay at home as they settle things at the hospital. however, they could not wait any longer and decided to leave the house to see their grandmother. it turned out to be an unfortunate event when angie suddenly went missing and anna blames herself for it.
such a great start for a debut novel focusing on family love & sacrifice. i love the writing though, it was really easy to follow through the story. the superstitious bits totally gave out that local context omg so relatable!! later in the story, it started to focus more on the mother’s trauma of not being able to find her daughter. however, some parts are predictable and i personally find that the ending was not really satisfying as it felt quite abrupt. but still managed to finish the whole book - its a real page turner.
cant help but to remember the time when i actually got lost in a shopping mall before too…….my sister got worried as we were together when it happened. :’)
such a great start for a debut novel focusing on family love & sacrifice. i love the writing though, it was really easy to follow through the story. the superstitious bits totally gave out that local context omg so relatable!! later in the story, it started to focus more on the mother’s trauma of not being able to find her daughter. however, some parts are predictable and i personally find that the ending was not really satisfying as it felt quite abrupt. but still managed to finish the whole book - its a real page turner.
cant help but to remember the time when i actually got lost in a shopping mall before too…….my sister got worried as we were together when it happened. :’)
abookbish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tanadon's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gracefulquills's review against another edition
3.0
This was a rather grim read for me. The story started off on a happy note, zooming in on a typical, lower-middle income Singaporean family of 4, filled with warmth, joy and celebration. The story then took a downward spiral after one of their daughters, Angie, went missing.
I'd like to believe loss brings people (especially family members) closer, but this book seem to set a stage for a different perspective altogether. Here, the tremendous and painful loss seemed to alienate the family members more & more as each of them struggles individually to cope with Angie's absence. Deceit, secrecy, and uncomfortable distances develop within the home, which was supposed to be a place of support and refuge especially during this difficult crisis.
Crippled by loss of her elder daughter, the mother was unable to love her younger daughter freely and treated the child with a haphazardness borderlining on neglect and abuse. Yet one couldn't blame her, for who knows the extent and depth of a mother's love? There is practically no strong support system for the most affected family member, and she is neither particularly good at expressing her feelings to her husband, nor is her husband proactively taking the lead in the crisis. Their marriage suffered a hit as a result. All these factors contributed to the tragedy.
Even though the characters aren't very likable, this raw and authentic story forced me to confront fears and worries of married life, starting a family in Singapore and so on. I say this because the book also covers aspects of everyday cares like taking care of aging parents, shouldering the financial burden of young children and high costs of living, all these on top of facing other trials and tribulations life throws your way. In portraying how the family grapples with all these tribulations, the book has set a pessimistic and bleak tone, which is why I was praying near the last few chapters that "let not all hope be lost, that the family could still be redeemed regardless of whether Angie returns or not."
Overall, the storyline was able to keep me engaged despite its two-dimensional characters. Yet the payoff in the ending wasn't great, driving home the message the irrevocable damage done by Su Lai and that familial love can only redeem so much. It has its limits. I would say a good redemptive 'happy ending' would be this: Angie remains missing, the pain and hurt of the loss will always be there, but the family finds a way to reconcile and live together contentedly again in this new normal.
This is a book I don't recommend to anyone who's Singaporean (especially if you're not well-to-do) because it hits close to home and makes you feel absolutely depressed. It isn't a feel good book.
I'd like to believe loss brings people (especially family members) closer, but this book seem to set a stage for a different perspective altogether. Here, the tremendous and painful loss seemed to alienate the family members more & more as each of them struggles individually to cope with Angie's absence. Deceit, secrecy, and uncomfortable distances develop within the home, which was supposed to be a place of support and refuge especially during this difficult crisis.
Crippled by loss of her elder daughter, the mother was unable to love her younger daughter freely and treated the child with a haphazardness borderlining on neglect and abuse. Yet one couldn't blame her, for who knows the extent and depth of a mother's love? There is practically no strong support system for the most affected family member, and she is neither particularly good at expressing her feelings to her husband, nor is her husband proactively taking the lead in the crisis. Their marriage suffered a hit as a result. All these factors contributed to the tragedy.
Even though the characters aren't very likable, this raw and authentic story forced me to confront fears and worries of married life, starting a family in Singapore and so on. I say this because the book also covers aspects of everyday cares like taking care of aging parents, shouldering the financial burden of young children and high costs of living, all these on top of facing other trials and tribulations life throws your way. In portraying how the family grapples with all these tribulations, the book has set a pessimistic and bleak tone, which is why I was praying near the last few chapters that "let not all hope be lost, that the family could still be redeemed regardless of whether Angie returns or not."
Overall, the storyline was able to keep me engaged despite its two-dimensional characters. Yet the payoff in the ending wasn't great, driving home the message the irrevocable damage done by Su Lai and that familial love can only redeem so much. It has its limits. I would say a good redemptive 'happy ending' would be this: Angie remains missing, the pain and hurt of the loss will always be there, but the family finds a way to reconcile and live together contentedly again in this new normal.
This is a book I don't recommend to anyone who's Singaporean (especially if you're not well-to-do) because it hits close to home and makes you feel absolutely depressed. It isn't a feel good book.
myeonghopabo's review against another edition
4.0
The study of how one copes with loss in their own way and the debacle on religious practices and mediums was truly so interesting and explorative for me to read about and it was all the more pleasurable to have this story to be based in Singapore, making the premise familiar and a 'comfortable-yet-uncomfortable' book to read.
ohsoreads's review against another edition
5.0
Angie, Anna, their parents & Nai Nai (grandmother) lived together happily in a humble apartment until one day Angie went missing. When asked by her parents where Angie had went, Anna told a lie to avoid getting reprimanded. Su Lai felt like her world has crashed with the sudden loss of her oldest daughter. For a period of time, the family put blame on one another which caused high tension in the household. If Anna never lied, will Angie avoid going missing?
This Singapore Lit. includes themes of loss of loved one, family, some essence of an average Singaporean household.
I sincerely loved this novel. It is so complete, I feel fulfilled reading it. I found myself getting weaved into the story as I could relate to little details such as the grandma with tattooed green eyebrows, the drinking of ash water for cleansing, my mum’s thoughts of how fish is so expensive and we can do without it, the special Saturday outings and more. This is the kind of heartfelt storyline that a middle-class Singaporean can thoroughly get into. Thank you for making me laugh, cry and have heartache together with Anna and her family.
The gods will hear us eventually — no, the gods HAVE TO hear us eventually. Especially with all the Su Lai had desperately done just to find Angie.
This Singapore Lit. includes themes of loss of loved one, family, some essence of an average Singaporean household.
I sincerely loved this novel. It is so complete, I feel fulfilled reading it. I found myself getting weaved into the story as I could relate to little details such as the grandma with tattooed green eyebrows, the drinking of ash water for cleansing, my mum’s thoughts of how fish is so expensive and we can do without it, the special Saturday outings and more. This is the kind of heartfelt storyline that a middle-class Singaporean can thoroughly get into. Thank you for making me laugh, cry and have heartache together with Anna and her family.
The gods will hear us eventually — no, the gods HAVE TO hear us eventually. Especially with all the Su Lai had desperately done just to find Angie.
tinycl0ud's review against another edition
4.0
as i was reading this book i remembered the saying, “a mother’s love knows no bounds,” and the song that goes “世上只有妈妈好，有妈的孩子像个宝.” in my heart I wished and wished for a happy ending, given how allergic to happy endings some local writers tend to be, but tbh I knew that given the context a happy ending would be trite, or even any kind of a definitive ending. of course it’d be great and a lot less depressing if angie was found, if spirit mediums worked, or if there really was a kidnapper who could be apprehended by the police, but the fact of the matter is that tragedy can be extremely mundane. this book is a stark reminder that faith doesn’t necessarily bring about miracles, but that’s what it means to keep it. i was touched by the portrait of su lai, a mother so torn by grief and so driven to desperation she fails her remaining family members over and over, but honestly i cannot find it in myself to berate her. i think it is too utilitarian to say that she should be grateful she still has her other child, as if children were objects you had spares for. losing either of them would have driven her nuts because that is the kind of mother she is; human lives are not substitutes for one another. (btw this theme was also explored in picoult’s ‘my sister’s keeper’!) and if there is even a sliver of a possibility that her daughter can be saved, i think i would agree that the ends justify the means.
pagesofelly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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