I came upon this book by chance in January 2017, and it left a deep impression on me. Till today, it’s still the best piece of SingLit I’ve read.
I had been meaning to buy one for our home library, so that I’d have my own copy in almost pristine condition to read and re-read, and for the kids to read it too (my elder girl is a book nazi and snaps as me if I so much as crease a spine). But it was sold out at BooksActually every time I asked. Finally, I managed to order in a copy at the Epigram Bookstore.
As I read it again recently, every page of this tiny 42-page book resonated. Each short story is somewhat allegorical and reminiscent of the style of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Content and intent-wise, it is rather different of course.
This is how it opens.
This is a book that overflows with wisdom. Its brevity makes each sentence all the more rich in layer upon layer of meaning. No surprise that Alvin Pang is better known as a poet, listed in the Oxford Companion to Modern Poetry in English (2nd Edition), no less.
When I read this story (“Learning”), it was like an ode to every good teacher I’d ever known. And the final paragraph? Simply beautiful.
There is so much insight in each story. Perhaps because our life paths have a few similarities, it was as if the author was writing about experiences I had personally witnessed. I also loved the form of this book because it has inspired me to write my own.
This, in my opinion, is SingLit at its best. Not lurid tales of moral panic, or pretentious abstract musings. The stories are at once universal, yet profoundly local without any overt Singaporean reference. Stories that you can ponder over at length, stories that make you want to be a better version of yourself.
If there is one SingLit book you’d ever buy, this should be it.
What Gives Us Our Names ($10) is available here.
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