What are you reading at home?

Any time is a good time to read but more so in times of isolation, books make the perfect company. This is also a great time to support your local, independent bookstores if you’re thinking of getting a copy of any of the books for yourself.

AKAR asked our friends for their favourite books set in Southeast Asia and/or written by a Southeast Asian author. Read on for the list. We've got you covered from novels to poetry!

Norashiqin Toh recommends: Ministry of Moral Panic by Amanda Lee Koe

Koe is a masterful writer, her prose brimming with lyrical quality. For many, however, this collection of short stories will likely be an uncomfortable read. These are after all stories that contemplate resistance, transgressions, and the crossing of boundaries — difficult subjects that tend to unsettle. One may even question at times whether Koe is willfully provocative and guilty of racial stereotyping, or is simply taking the risks necessary to tell the truths of those who have been typically sidelined. I am inclined towards the latter, finding this to be an empathetic portrayal of the various lives that are lived on the margins.

Norashiqin Toh is a poet from Singapore.

Dr Nazry Bahrawi recommends: The Amok of Mat Solo by Salleh Ben Joned

Mental health issues are a feature of quarantine life. They are also a feature of Salleh Ben Joned’s The Amok of Mat Solo, an irreverent English play set in Malaysia about an academic gone mad. Though this was published in 2011, its array of themes will speak to those of us tethering on the edge as Covid-19 brings out the worst in humanity — toxic masculinity, spousal abuse, the intolerance of the masses and the pretentiousness of the elites, what Salleh cleverly calls the bumigeoisie in interviews. The story draws on the legend of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat to make some acerbic points about how we’ve structured society. No character is spared this critique. It’s a difficult read full of profanities and barren of any sopan-santun that some might passionately defend as characteristic of Malay literature. Yet, it’s also strangely calming in these trying times. When things resume some semblance of normalcy, I hope somebody stages this.

Dr Nazry Bahrawi specialises in the study of texts, thoughts and traditions of Indian Ocean cultures between Muslim Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He lectures at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Xueh Wei recommends: The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

Set in Malaya, the story begins with a mysteriously found finger, before the readers are lured into a tale of mystery, love, and folklore. I remember absolutely devouring this book the first time I read it. It is a page turner that is both moving and full of surprises. The fact that you can be transported to a whole new time and place with the story, and find yourself rooting for the characters — I cannot think of a better book to be cooped up at home with. The perfect novel to escape into for a while.

Xueh Wei is a book blogger from Malaysia. She also co-hosts the LiteraSEA book club on Instagram. Follow her for more book recommendations and reviews.

Aqilah recommends: Open: A Boy’s Wayang Adventure by Eva Wong Nava and a tiny space by fifi coo & family

Recently, I’ve been raising awareness of special needs, plus April was Autism Awareness Month! So these two books are my current favourite reads. I love these books because they are short reads (you can finish them in one sitting!) yet you can learn a lot from them. They also give a good introduction to the autism world. Books that talk about inclusiveness are so, so important.

Aqilah is a librarian from Singapore. Follow her for more book recommendations and reviews.

Shaf Ghani recommends: Malay Sketches by Alfian Sa’at

I read this book a few years back in a single sitting probably because the sketches and short stories were catchy and easy to digest. But most of all, it was because the characters truly resonated with me. They went through the Malay-Singaporean experience as I did — from being a Malay schoolgirl in a majority Chinese-populated country to experiences that are familiar to most Malay homes, such as the cultural influence of Malaysian music and films. Alfian's stories paint a portrait of the Malay Singaporean, without generalising what it means to be one, while Shahril Nizam's good-humoured caricatures are a delightful bonus.

Shaf Ghani is a writer from Singapore.

Alien and Indra recommends: The Wandering by Intan Paramadhita, translated by Stephen J. Epstein

In this choose-your-own-adventure novel, the main character made a deal with the devil so that she can travel the world through the magic of a pair of red shoes. This book is not only highly innovative in its style of writing, but each plot questions our beliefs and points of view about many aspects of society. What if you are a prostitute in Amsterdam’s red light district but your family is now following the hijrah trend* in Jakarta?

*hijrah trend: a trend where people follow a more Islamic lifestyle, though at times the practices they adopt are more Arabic than Islamic

Sergius Seeks Bacchus by Norman Erikson Pasaribu, translated by Tiffany Tsao

This a poetry collection which chronicles the struggle of a gay man living in Jakarta. Through the lyrical stanzas, you will be transported to a parking lot in a mall, the only safe place for a gay couple to steal a kiss. You will also experience the tension in a dining room, where pancake becomes more than just food, and where Indonesia’s most famous instant noodle, Indomie, comes with a particular recipe. One of the most unique things about this book is how the translation is the fruit of the joint work between Tsao and Pasaribu. Pasaribu admitted that he rewrote a few of the poems that was in Bahasa to create a more beautiful translated work. The result is exquisite.

Alien and Indra are the people behind Transit Bookstore, an independent bookstore in Jakarta. Follow them to check out the titles they carry.

Noor Iskandar recommends: Singapore Dream and Other Adventures by Hermann Hesse, translated by Sherab Chodzin Kohn

I first fell in love with Hesse's work, Siddhartha, which according to some, is like a cult classic among the hippies. So when I found out that Hesse had been to Singapore and was going to publish this book, I immediately pre-ordered it.

Frankly, this book is rather taxing in its portrayal. There was no place to hide while reading his critical lens of the natives here that at some point, I was very skeptical to read this objectively. It did, however, bring light to the considerations of truth, of the issue of representation and gaze. In such an account, how much of it is romantic and how much is real? I am still mulling this work but it is definitely good study material. While doing our field trip for a client project along the Bras Basah Bugis precinct, I made my students read and critically analyse these anecdotes. Makes for a good discourse!

Gelas Separuh Penuh by Affendi Salleh (written in Malay)

This recently self-published book is probably one of the ultimate revelations in Malaysian literature. An architect by practice, Affendi's writings are original, real, critical, and full of sass. Every inch of this book signals passion and grit. You can feel it in its voluminous weight. Amidst all that, what permeates is a vulnerable, tender voice throughout while contemplating grand inquiries. Indeed, this book is "bebelan yang bawa manfaat pada pendengar”.

I fell in love with Affendi's writing after a friend posted his writing on Instagram, on buying happiness to conceal the void. I was sold. Fast forward a few months later, I met him and his wife at a slopeside food place behind the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur where I got this book plus a beautiful encounter over Nasi Lemak Tanglin.

Noor Iskandar is a writer from Singapore.

Amanda Chong recommends: Morphology of Desire by Dorothea Rosa Herliany (Edited and translated from Bahasa Indonesia by Harry Aveling)

Herliany is a poet witnessing from the relentless darkness of her own mind, as evident from the opening lines “perhaps all i can hold / are my own / shadows: they tremble / with each breath I take.” Still, her language disrupts the darkness with colour and surreal imagery. Her poetic voice is stridently feminine — she is the kind of woman whose words hold back storms.

Amanda is a lawyer, poet, and social justice warrior from Singapore.