Reading the World discussion

From: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

A fearful, tender, unexpectedly gifted boy in a Singapore fishing village finds that his fate is inextricably wound with that of his community.

"Decades later, the kampong would trace it all back to this very hour, waves draining the light from this slim, hungry moon." So begins Heng's second novel, a story scaffolded against a sweeping backdrop—the politics of colonialism, World War II in Southeast Asia, ecology, the inexorable forces of development and modernization—with very little of that ever mentioned, instead focusing on the experiences of the characters in language of perfect simplicity. It begins in 1941, when the territory of Singapore is “still governed by the Ang Mohs as it had been for the past century.” A small boy named Ah Boon goes out fishing with his Pa and somehow intuits the location of a mysterious island where the fish run denser than their nets can carry. This is the watershed hour referred to in the opening sentence, and its immediate effects are wholly positive. "While previously they’d subsisted on thin gruel with sweet potato, stringy bean sprouts, and the occasional scrawny chicken, now they feasted, day and night, on fish. They steamed them with ginger and freshly cut chilies; they chopped them up and sautéed the pieces with fragrant sambal, they fried them till the fins grew crispy, a delicious treat for the children." Meanwhile, Ah Boon has become close with his brilliant schoolmate Siok Mei, who was virtually orphaned when her parents left the country for political reasons but now shares with Ah Boon many idyllic days of childhood. The good times screech to a halt when war arrives and the Japanese occupation begins. After upheavals and tragedies, the story moves into the postwar period, when the Gah Men (as the people who run the country are known) begin a massive earth-moving project to reshape the coastline. Here Ah Boon's unique relationship to the landscape will again play a critical role even as he dons the white shirt and white pants and round, wire-rimmed glasses of a Gah Man. Heng's development of this character is absolutely brilliant and deserves wide notice.

Like a drop of rain that holds the reflection of the world, crystalline and beautiful.

I found this book strangely disturbing.
It was well written and managed to capture a particular aspect of Singapore that is very difficult to capture, namely their fierce ambition to overcome their physical limitations to become a powerful country while taking care of their people (or in some government language: their resources). Singapore is truly a miracle of social engineering as they have managed to turn their third world country into a first world country, while housing and educating everyone, and providing everyone with old age security and western quality level (or better) health care. It is a wonderful, exhilarating city and one of the only ones in the world that I felt completely safe walking alone at night.
The book attempts to bring into focus the cost of this miracle.
As the founder of the miracle, Lee Kwan Yew famously said: not all cultures have the same belief in western "rights". We believe in different rights. The right to be safe on the street for example.
I felt the book really did a good job of making one feel how this progress took place, how the left leaning unionists were treated as criminals and how the Japanese and And Mohs set the country up for this reactionary strategy. I did, however, struggle with the magical nature of the islands. The metaphor was solid, with the land being something that is of the past and easily lost but nevertheless, it is difficult for me to believe that anyone would take the islands and their bounty for granted. Also our primary character, Ah Boon, appeared too tidy in his obsessions. It felt as if the author was struggling to keep her characters in the framework of the greater Singaporean story.
That said, I read the book very quickly and appreciated it.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Gail. I wasn't sure if I was interested before but I definitely want to read the book now.

Thank you Gail and Mariya. I hope to start today.