★★★★☆ Book Review: The Minorities by Suffian Hakim

Supernatural tale fuelled by whip-smart humour makes this quirky roadtrip a delight.  As far as motley crews go, the group at the centre of Suffian Hakim’s The Minorities surely ranks among the oddest. Meet Cantona, a Bangladeshi artist on the run from his construction company; ‘Tights’, a Chinese illegal immigrant with a love for films; Shanti, an Indian lab technician hiding from her abusive husband, and an … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: The Minorities by Suffian Hakim

★★★☆☆ Book Review: My BFF Is An Alien by Vivian Teo

  Vivian Teo’s new series introduces extraterrestrial elements to a typical narrative of unlikely friends.  The teenage years can be one of the most brutal in a person’s life. Academically, secondary school is a huge step up from primary school, while one’s body goes through the ravages of puberty, and the people you thought would be friends forever begin to slowly drift away. It’s no … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: My BFF Is An Alien by Vivian Teo

Book Review: Beauty Queens of Bishan by Akshita Nanda

A celebration of womanhood and femininity in all their facets, set against the ever-intriguing world of pageants. Love it or loathe it, everyone wants to feel pretty. And in this age of reality TV, celebrity worship and social media obsession, it’s becoming increasingly harder to match up to society’s standards of beauty, what with the bar being continually raised. The business of beauty is booming, … Continue reading Book Review: Beauty Queens of Bishan by Akshita Nanda

The Banter: An Interview with Akshita Nanda, Author of Beauty Queens of Bishan

Since the last time we spoke to author Akshita Nanda, her life has taken quite the turn. No longer an arts correspondent with The Straits Times, Akshita has gone back to hitting the books, not only pursuing a Masters in International Affairs but also getting ready to release her sophomore novel – Beauty Queens of Bishan. From its blurb alone, Beauty Queens of Bishan already feels … Continue reading The Banter: An Interview with Akshita Nanda, Author of Beauty Queens of Bishan

Book Review: Nimita’s Place by Akshita Nanda

Parallel narratives of an Indian grandmother during Partition and her granddaughter in modern day Singapore make for a satisfying debut.  Reading Nimita’s Place feels a little like moving in to a new house – to an ethnically Chinese person reading this, the parallel narratives seen through the eyes of both protagonists present worlds that are rapidly changing, initially unfamiliar, yet places that Akshita eases us into to … Continue reading Book Review: Nimita’s Place by Akshita Nanda