Reviews

Impractical Uses of Cake by Yeoh Jo-Ann

sharkie's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.5

clare_tan_wenhui's review

4.0

"I've been thinking about whether I should stop. I'm not much of a teacher"
"Would not being a teacher make you a better human?"
"I don't know. I don't know what else I would do."
"Well, would not being a teacher make you want to be a better human?"
"I don't know."
"You must think carefully about this. If we don't try being better humans, we start becoming worse humans."

Extracted from "Impractical Uses of Cake" by Yeoh Jo-Ann

An existentialism tale, somewhat like Singapore's version of [b:Lucky Jim|395182|Lucky Jim|Kingsley Amis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373459729l/395182._SY75_.jpg|876732], though milder.
Have a taste and enjoy.

natexy's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’m biased because it’s my first time being able to recognise the road names and imagine the plot unfolding in a cityscape I’m so familiar with. I’ve always been lost in the cities of US/ UK in books but never have I had the privilege to be lost in Singapore in a fictional story. It’s a pretty magical experience!

I liked the writing style, very self-referential, witty and also full of literary references. I found the characters pretty unlikeable though 😅 The humdrum routine of Sukhin’s life was depressing and I also found it frustrating that he refused to speak his mind and COMMUNICATE to Jinn till the last quarter. . .

The storyline was a little unrealistic too, but it is a story afterall 😀 

I appreciated the cultural references and local slang, but I wonder if I’d like this story as much if I didn’t understand its nuances. 

Overall, it was still a heartwarming read. Always lovely to be reminded that we shouldn’t lap up society’s expectations of what’s “normal” and “successful” mindlessly. 

auntie_terror's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

eininthebird's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

seeyf's review

3.0

This whimsical story of a JC English literature teacher approaching a middle age crisis and his ex-girlfriend whom he suddenly discovers living homeless on the streets was a fun and quick read. It may have tried to cram in too many themes (education, homelessness, mental illness, food waste, homosexuality) to treat any one of them substantially, but the light prose and quirky characters make up for it.

popiloey's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

clarxvizconde13's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

14bellini's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

enjoyed the writing style, and the use of recurring motifs and characters throughout the books. the two main characters were strongly written and characterised, but a few of the other side characters lacked more depth that i wish they could've had. the protagonist's sardonic tone and how it softens in the face of certain situations and people was very nicely done. wish some smaller plotlines could've been wrapped up and expanded on with a little more clarity. also, in the first few chapters, while it becomes more evident later on, i felt that i had no idea where the book was going, and there wasn't really much attempt at detailing this. while i appreciate that the story unfolded bit by bit, and that it's ultimately character-driven and slice-of-life/stream of consciousness in style, i wish there could've been slightly more direction. otherwise, though, i quite liked this book and how it discussed various topics in singapore that deserve more attention. at the same time, though, i feel like more depth is required for better dialogue to happen. despite this (and contrary to many of the reviews here), i liked the open ending. in fact, if you read the parts between chapters, i think you'd find that the ending is not quite so open after all. 

ngudle's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0