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A review by deadegg1
catskull by Myle Yan Tay
dark
mysterious
reflective
5.0
INSANE! can't believe this was a debut novel.
honestly, i wasnt expecting much at first because it's been years since ive read something from a local author. the structure and syntax put me off at first but i grew to like it. it also made it easier to breeze through the novel + made it more engrossing!
if i had to describe this book i would say it's like 'kick-ass' meets 'death note' meets 'crime and punishment', thrown into a singaporean setting with themes of marginalisation, the education system, grief, and justice. it also doesnt shy away from violence and gore or topics that may be considered almost taboo in singapore.
i rlly love how it ended with ram's A levels result slip. at the beginning of the book he was so concerned about his A levels, kept comparing himself to his classmates / older brother but lost interest / gave up once he started prioritising and got obsessed with the daitya business. v ironic that he achieved his goal of 3 As and even did better than logan in the end but none of it mattered because he died.
although i knew from the start that there was a strong possibility he would end up dead due to the foreshadowing in the table of contents + chapter title, i never expected paris to be the one to kill him. i thought he would have committed suicide or gotten caught by the police and faced death penalty etc.
also love how logan might get the death penalty. he deserved it for being a rapist. his tears and "guilt" do nothing to make me sympathise with him. i'm more inclined to forgive ram even though he murdered people for reasons that may not necessarily be justifiable. ram is clearly mentally ill (plus all that exposure to those forums could not have been healthy for him and kass) and even then he wanted to change for the better at the end. sure, we'll never know if he wouldve gone back to being daitya for reasons other than finding out his brother was a rapist + not having any consequences for what he did doesnt sound right either but i believe he could have received mental help and healed eventually.
on the other hand i like what the writer did with logan's character as well. my impression of him was a roller coaster throughout the book- first thinking hes just a dickhead, then warming up to him and then finally despising him. i think it parallels the roller coaster that is the brothers' relationship- close as kids, distant later on, closer again and finally rams rage and feelings of betrayal towards him.
i wish we knew more about kass. she's an enigma to me and i wouldve like to have known what she was thinking at times. all i know is shes morally grey and probably mentally ill too for letting ram keep getting away with what he was doing for so long. i wonder how she feels about her brother killing her best friend? will she ever be able to forgive him? or herself for letting this go too far? MY GIRL HAS GONE THROUGH SO MUCH OHMYGOD someone save her 😭😭
one issue with the book that i had was that the premise was quite unbelievable because honestly how did he not get caught?? especially for a state like singapore with cameras everywhere and kaypohs who will snitch at the first chance 😭 but obviously its fiction so i didnt mind too much.
overall, i rlly enjoyed this. it's not perfect but i still give it 5 stars because i know it's going to have a huge impact on me. probably my favourite sg novel now.
honestly, i wasnt expecting much at first because it's been years since ive read something from a local author. the structure and syntax put me off at first but i grew to like it. it also made it easier to breeze through the novel + made it more engrossing!
if i had to describe this book i would say it's like 'kick-ass' meets 'death note' meets 'crime and punishment', thrown into a singaporean setting with themes of marginalisation, the education system, grief, and justice. it also doesnt shy away from violence and gore or topics that may be considered almost taboo in singapore.
although i knew from the start that there was a strong possibility he would end up dead due to the foreshadowing in the table of contents + chapter title, i never expected paris to be the one to kill him. i thought he would have committed suicide or gotten caught by the police and faced death penalty etc.
also love how logan might get the death penalty. he deserved it for being a rapist. his tears and "guilt" do nothing to make me sympathise with him. i'm more inclined to forgive ram even though he murdered people for reasons that may not necessarily be justifiable. ram is clearly mentally ill (plus all that exposure to those forums could not have been healthy for him and kass) and even then he wanted to change for the better at the end. sure, we'll never know if he wouldve gone back to being daitya for reasons other than finding out his brother was a rapist + not having any consequences for what he did doesnt sound right either but i believe he could have received mental help and healed eventually.
on the other hand i like what the writer did with logan's character as well. my impression of him was a roller coaster throughout the book- first thinking hes just a dickhead, then warming up to him and then finally despising him. i think it parallels the roller coaster that is the brothers' relationship- close as kids, distant later on, closer again and finally rams rage and feelings of betrayal towards him.
i wish we knew more about kass. she's an enigma to me and i wouldve like to have known what she was thinking at times. all i know is shes morally grey and probably mentally ill too for letting ram keep getting away with what he was doing for so long. i wonder how she feels about her brother killing her best friend? will she ever be able to forgive him? or herself for letting this go too far? MY GIRL HAS GONE THROUGH SO MUCH OHMYGOD someone save her 😭😭
one issue with the book that i had was that the premise was quite unbelievable because honestly how did he not get caught?? especially for a state like singapore with cameras everywhere and kaypohs who will snitch at the first chance 😭 but obviously its fiction so i didnt mind too much.
overall, i rlly enjoyed this. it's not perfect but i still give it 5 stars because i know it's going to have a huge impact on me. probably my favourite sg novel now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault