A review by sadiereadsagain
We, the Survivors by Tash Aw
4.0
This was a Shelterbox Book Club pick that I was quite behind on, and I found myself reading it amongst other books I'd committed to. I don't usually read more than one book at a time, and I'm annoyed I did it with this one as I think it would have hit even harder had I devoted my full attention to it. Having said that, I still thought it was really good.
On the face of it this is a story about Ah Hock - a Chinese man from a Malaysian fishing village who is being interviewed about a murder he committed. He has served his time, and is now on parole; his crime and victim are known, but what isn't understood is why he did it. During these interviews, Ah Hock examines his life from all angles - not just the events that led up to him killing a man, but his whole existence. And that's where this book departs from the surface, and dives so much deeper, looking at the immigrant experience, migrant workers, poverty, friendship, race and class.
I can't lie, this is a bleak and almost stark book. But I was very invested in not only what Ah Hock's reasons for his crime were, but in understanding the trajectory his life took. For me, the murder itself isn't the most devastating or interesting part of this story at all. I will say, some of my enjoyment of this book was less about the story and more about understanding the realities of a country and culture that I haven't read about before. However, that isn't to say that the almost memoir-like quality of the narrative was without it's own merit, as it absolutely was.
Very compelling.
On the face of it this is a story about Ah Hock - a Chinese man from a Malaysian fishing village who is being interviewed about a murder he committed. He has served his time, and is now on parole; his crime and victim are known, but what isn't understood is why he did it. During these interviews, Ah Hock examines his life from all angles - not just the events that led up to him killing a man, but his whole existence. And that's where this book departs from the surface, and dives so much deeper, looking at the immigrant experience, migrant workers, poverty, friendship, race and class.
I can't lie, this is a bleak and almost stark book. But I was very invested in not only what Ah Hock's reasons for his crime were, but in understanding the trajectory his life took. For me, the murder itself isn't the most devastating or interesting part of this story at all. I will say, some of my enjoyment of this book was less about the story and more about understanding the realities of a country and culture that I haven't read about before. However, that isn't to say that the almost memoir-like quality of the narrative was without it's own merit, as it absolutely was.
Very compelling.