By The Book

Saras Manickam’s debut book is a collection written over nearly two decades, and features her 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize-winning entry as the titular story. In the anthology, flawed but authentic characters span the decades in a Malaysian setting, as Saras explores both intimate, personal struggles as well as broader societal themes. We speak with Saras about her writing process, and how she lets her characters wend their own way through her stories. We close off with a review of the book.

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Many fantasy and science-fiction novels begin with maps of the lands in which they're set. And this does a few things: it gives the reader a sense of scope, it welcomes us into the landscape of the story, and frankly, they're often very beautiful to look at. But what about the work that goes into these maps? What's the process? We speak to illustrator (and avid mapmaker), Charis Loke, about these very things. And then in Footnotes, we discuss whether we, as readers, are sufficiently appreciative of these maps.  

Image Credit: Charis Loke and The Foxglove King.

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One of the biggest catalysts in any story, and yet also one of the most underrated characters, mothers have always had a strong presence in literature and non-fiction. In this episode ahead of Mother's Day, we discuss some of our favourite mothers in books, including classics, literary fiction, and memoirs. We also touch on why mothers can be complicated to write about, as well as the trope of the Bad, or Complicated Mom. And then in Footnotes, we explore how we feel about some of our favourite artists exploring different art forms (Neil Gaiman making music! Tom Hanks writing novels! You get the picture). 

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Stories that span more than one book - whether a duology, a trilogy or a series - can either be exciting or daunting, depending on the kind of reader you are. We discuss our evolving relationships with this type of storytelling, and talk about whether we're completists or comfortable abandoning a book mid-series. Then, in Footnotes, we talk about sustainability in the book publishing industry.   

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Franz Kafka's The Trial, written between 1914 and 1915, and published posthumously in 1925, tells the story of a man arrested for an unnamed crime and then forced to navigate an impossible legal and bureaucratic system to prove his innocence. Celebrated as an incisive allegory of how an oppressive, authoritarian regime might wear down its citizens, The Trial is often hailed as prescient and ahead of its time. We discuss the book, and how it can be both challenging and rewarding. 

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Having started selling books on Facebook in 2016, Rachel Ang expanded Books n Bobs to a full-blown website and even a physical store. We talk to her about how it all came to be, and how to sell secondhand books online in a way that readers want and appreciate. And then, on Footnotes, we discuss the closure of a major bookseller, Book Depository, and how it marks the end of an era. 

Image Credit: Books N Bobs/Facebook

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Malaysian writer Nadia Mikail recently hit the headlines when she was announced the winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize as well as the older readers’ category, for her debut book, The Cats We Meet Along The Way - a tale of a Malaysian family that goes on a road trip as the wait for the world to end. We speak with Nadia about her inspirations for the book, and how she infuses warmth and sweetness into an inherently bleak premise. We close off the show by reviewing the book. 

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Korean author Bora Chung’s collection of short stories has been garnering praise for its critique of patriarchy and capitalism, while also blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science fiction. We review the book and talk about whether it effectively uses the short story form.  

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Once you start looking, they're everywhere - website after website, publication after publication, it feels like everyone's got a definitive list of books that you simply have to read before you shuffle off this mortal coil. But what's the value of these lists anyway? Are they just book snobbery? We get into it on the show, and also mention some titles we're glad to have read while we had the opportunity to. 

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Brickfields We See You is a new zine that explores Brickfields through writing, illustrations and photos - and in this episode, we speak with one of its creators, Adriana Noordin Manan, about why she wanted to put this together, and what the whole process was like. And in a broader sense, we also wanted to explore the world of zines and the space they occupy, which is why we were also joined by Shari Elis Jaffri, who's no stranger to zines. Following that, in Footnotes, we ask them for some of their favourite titles and editions.

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