We Can All Relate To These Stories

Alfian Sa'at is a wonderful storyteller. His latest book of short stories titled 'Malay Sketches', is no different. Poignant and lingering in its lack of length of each story some spanning one page, and two paragraphs. The language used is utilitarian, nothing flowery or sonorous.

Like what the back of the book says, the stories offer "the reader profound and radical insights into the realities of life as an ethnic minority in Singapore". It's a hark to the original Malay Sketches by colonial governor Frank Swettenham. Some of these stories have been earlier published in other anthologies. Each story is accompanied by a main illustration, done by Shahril Nizam. I like them! They've been turned into postcards too. Bought some at Books Actually.

Alfian Sa'at doesn't shy away from any topic. He touches on being a hangman, terrorism, Aids, job-seeking with a tudung, sibling rivalry, marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims, the relationship between students, and husband and wives, divorce, children, lack of language skills in the mother tongue, et cetera. We read about topics that might be unique to the Malay community, and also nod at shared experiences which span communities.

One very short story titled "Bukit Batok, 5 PM" wrought chuckles. It's something I'm sure all of us empathize with, or understand fully, regardless of race, language, religion, and nationality. There're so many layers to this story of boys playing soccer. The boys imagine they're playing to thousands of spectators at the home stadiums of their favorite English or Spanish football clubs, but when they go home, it's another story. Perceive it any way you want.

They play until dusk, when it is time to return to their homes. A chorus of voices receives them: "How many times do I have to tell you, once you step into the house go straight to the toilet!" "Play until don't know when to come back, is it?" "What were you doing until you got your knees so black?" "When you come back at this time you invite the devil in!" HDB life: one takes the stairs and elevators up to be brought back down to earth.