Fiction

All countries Afghanistan Albania Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Cabo Verde Canada Central African Republic Chile China Congo, Democratic Republic Croatia Cuba Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt Fiji Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Libya Malaysia Mexico Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Singapore Slovenia Somalia South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Türkiye Turkmenistan Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uzbekistan Yemen Zambia

Newest first Oldest first

The Great Reclamation

The Great Reclamation

Set against the dramatic transformation of twentieth-century Singapore, The Great Reclamation follows Lee Ah Boon, a gentle boy growing up in a coastal fishing village during the final years of British colonial rule. More interested in playing with his childhood companion, Siok Mei, than in fishing, Boon discovers he possesses an extraordinary ability: he can locate mysterious, shifting islands rich with fish that no one else can find. His discovery gives him a newfound purpose within his community and deepens his connection to Siok Mei. But history soon disrupts their sheltered world. The Japanese occupation during the Second World War, the rise of political resistance, and Singapore’s journey towards independence bring profound changes to the village. As the government pursues ambitious land reclamation projects in the name of progress, Boon and Siok Mei find themselves on opposing sides of an increasingly divided society. Blending historical fiction, magical realism, and an intimate love story, Heng’s novel explores the costs of modernisation, the legacies of colonialism, and the tension between personal loyalty and collective progress. Through Boon’s journey, the novel asks what it means to call a place home when the land itself—and the society built upon it—is constantly changing.

Nine Yard Sarees

Nine Yard Sarees

Nine Yard Sarees is a collection of eleven interconnected stories following nine women across three generations of the Srinivasan family, a Tamil Brahmin family whose history stretches from India to Singapore, Australia, and the United States. Spanning nearly seven decades, from 1950 to 2019, the stories explore how migration, tradition, and changing social expectations shape women’s lives. At the heart of the collection are women negotiating the demands of family and community while trying to define themselves on their own terms. Raji, the family matriarch, struggles with life away from her homeland, while her daughter Padma attempts to raise her children according to traditional values. In the younger generation, Keerthana approaches marriage and the prospect of wearing the nine-yard saree, a garment symbolizing womanhood and cultural heritage. Through stories of love, grief, prejudice, and personal transformation, Ram examines the tensions between tradition and independence. She addresses patriarchy, caste discrimination, sexuality, and the complexities of belonging in the diaspora. Moving between generations and continents, the collection celebrates women’s resilience and solidarity while revealing the emotional costs of preserving cultural identity in a changing world. The book won the 2024 Singapore Literature Prize for English Fiction.