echo As writers, it’s no secret that our love for words and literature extends to reading as well. For us, books serve as a refuge; a temporary escape into a secret world, one where our imaginations are borderless. Books also serve as a looking glass, allowing us to peer into foreign worlds otherwise unbeknownst to us. In the process of reading, they spark our creativity, broaden our perspectives and deepen our understanding of the world.
In this issue of Echo Express, we’ll be delving into a selection of books that we’ve picked up recently, whether it be stories that kept us up at night, made us think, or even touched our hearts.
Thin Places: Essays from In Between by Jordan Kisner
“In thin places, the (Celtic) folklore goes, the barrier between the physical and spiritual world wears thin and becomes porous. Distinctions between you and not-you, real and unreal, worldly and otherworldly, fall away.”
In this collection of essays, Jordan Kisner weaves descriptive pieces of writing that colour the gray space that exists in the “in between” of things. Whether it’s the juxtaposition between luxurious Western debutante balls and humble border towns, or death investigators navigating the frontier between life and death, Kisner dissects her subjects with the analytical prowess of a skilled surgeon. Kisner includes stories of her personal life, in which she loses her Christian faith, grapples with a mother-daughter relationship, and discovers her queer identity.
This makes for an interesting, gripping read which explores the liminal spaces of life. Religious and secular, native and foreign, and many more are up for discussion, which invites the reader to reevaluate the boundaries of their own mind.
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
William “Willie” Somerset Maugham, a famous English novelist, faces a multitude of problems; financial woes, failing health and a crumbling marriage of convenience. Following this, Somerset Maugham and his secretary, Gerald, arrive at Cassowary House for a stay with his friend Robert and his wife Leslie, in search of a new subject for his upcoming novel.
Cassowary House is a grand property on the Straits Settlement of Penang. Under its beautiful exterior lies secrets, much of it Leslie’s own, including her past connection to Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen. This, coupled with the trial of an Englishwoman charged with murder, makes for a salacious tale, one worthy of Somerset Maugham’s pen.
This novel includes masterfully written descriptions of colonial-era Penang, with Tan weaving a colourful tapestry of interconnected lives, punctuated with love, friendship and sexuality. It explores the evolution of the friendship between Leslie and Somerset Maugham, from wary strangers to hesitant confidantes. The book invites its readers to peel back its layers and delve into the secrets of Cassowary House and its inhabitants.
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Four years in Princeton has gotten Casey Han “no job and a number of bad habits”. As the eldest daughter to Korean immigrant parents, Casey Han lives a perpetually disappointing life; a smoking habit, a shopping addiction and a white boyfriend, all of which are subject to her parents’ disapproval.
Casey has managed what immigrants dream of: the chance of upward mobility achieved by scholarships, and the tantalising possibility of belonging in American society. However, things are not as easy; this is not a rags to riches story. After being cast out of her family home, Casey has to face the reality of expensive habits and what it means to sustain them. She falls into massive credit card debt, a relationship with a serial gambler and a complicated mentor-mentee relationship. Of course, there are bright spots in the story such as Casey’s friendship with the good and proper Ella Shim, who serves as Casey’s mirror, the perfect daughter who’s done everything right.
This novel focuses on an ensemble of characters with Casey shining at the forefront, tracing various stories of the Korean-American community as they struggle with finances, relationships and personal identity. Casey is an especially enchanting main character; she navigates life in New York City with grit and wit, all while being unmistakably human in her choices. All in all, this novel is a great read for those who enjoy large, sweeping tales that encompass the highs and lows of its characters.
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
“A time being is someone who lies in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.”
In A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki expertly weaves together the lives of Nao—a Japanese girl turned cultural misfit in her own home country, and Ruth—a blocked writer trying to figure out her life on a remote Canadian island. Despite living in timelines different from each other, on lands across seas, their lives are more intertwined than they realise. The book switches between the perspective of Nao writing in her diary, and Ruth’s narration as she reads it. The story heavily revolves around concepts of quantum physics, coupled with Buddhist ideology (weird combination, I know, and yet Ozeki makes it work in such a way that just makes sense!). As someone unfamiliar with either field, the story was still easy to follow, as they were explained and integrated so skilfully.
Ozeki is an expert at taking two things you’d never associate with each other; fact and fiction, suicide and ethics, physics and Buddhism—and creating a seamless blend between the two. Paired with her attuned sense of humour, A Tale for the Time Being makes for a grappling read that is hard to put down.
All that considered, I probably also picked up this book at the best time I possibly could’ve; during my trip to Japan. Noticing that the crows I saw on the streets were the same species of Japanese Jungle Crow as mentioned in the book, reading about Nao hanging out at the onsen and then getting to experience an onsen for myself—really reinforced the idea of “time beings” for me, and made reading this book feel that much more intimate and surreal.
Conclusion
Despite being written from all across the globe, these stories intersect surprisingly often in unique ways, such as how the characters from Free Food for Millionaires and A Tale for the Time Being both struggle with class and identity, and how sexuality is explored in Thin Places and The House of Doors. And yet, though the same themes are explored in these books, the stories and each character’s experience vastly differ from one another. This goes to show that there will never be a shortage of different perspectives that we can learn from among the written stories out there. That being said, we implore you to pick up a book and immerse yourself within its content, and to let fresh subjects and narratives broaden your lens.
Written by: Sarah Wong and Sarah Tan
Edited by: Ashley
