Explore Southeast Asia Through These Books
VMAN SEA lists a few good reads that will take you on a journey across our diverse region
The literature of Southeast Asia is just as diverse as its cuisine: there are historical reimaginings, horror stories, biting satire, and intriguing whodunnits. These novels are not just entertaining; they also provide a window into different cultures, practices, and beliefs. Below are some books to read if you want to know more about Southeast Asia and its people.
Malaysia: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Li Lan receives an unusual proposal from the powerful Lim family: They want her to become a ghost bride for their only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Accepting would mean a home for Li Lan for the rest of her days but at a terrible price. The Ghost Bride is a fantasy novel about a curious custom still practiced today, set in the historical state of Malacca in the 1890s when the British ruled it.
The Philippines: Cave and Shadows by Nick Joaquin
Nenita Coogan’s dead body is mysteriously found in a locked cave. Her stepfather, Jack Henson, returns to Manila to solve the case. Cave and Shadows is precisely that: it is a cavernous structure filled with dark crevices. Explore the shadows, and you’ll realize that the book is more than just a whodunnit. It is also about religion, identity, and colonialism. Nick Joaquin examines the intersection between the Philippines’ devotion to Catholicism (it is, after all, the most Catholic country in Asia) and the pagan practices of its precolonial past.
Cambodia: Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So
Much of Cambodia’s recent literature is about how Cambodians survived the killing fields during the Khmer Rouge. While these are necessary, Anthony Veasna So worries that the world tokenizes Cambodians and their trauma. The Cambodian-American author subverts expectations with Afterparties, a collection of short stories that follows the children of refugees in California, who balance the weight of the Khmer Rouge with the complexities of race, sexuality, friendship, and family.
Singapore: The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew
Sonny Liew explores Singaporean history through a unique lens: the biography of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, a pioneering but largely forgotten (and entirely fictional) comics artist whose career spanned more than five decades. This “biography,” which takes the form of a graphic novel, features alternate histories of Singapore’s changing political and economic climate and national identity. Liew’s book attracted controversy even before its release. The National Arts Council revoked its grant before its official book launch because of sensitive content that “potentially undermines the authority of legitimacy of the government.” However, the book sold out when it launched and went on to win multiple awards, including the Singapore Literature Prize and three Eisner Awards (the comic industry’s version of the Oscars).
Thailand: Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
In Sightseeing, Rattawut Lapcharoensap takes readers on a tour of Thailand, from the streets of Bangkok to the country’s white sand beaches. This collection of short stories not only takes place in different settings but also explores various themes, like poverty, filial piety, corruption, and the approach of Westernization. In these stories, Lapcharoensap pulls the curtains back on paradise with a diverse, humorous, and even affectionate view of life in Thailand.
Vietnam: Dumb Luck by Vũ Trọng Phụng
Vũ Trọng Phụng is considered the king of Northern Vietnam’s literary satire, and he flexes his talent in Dumb Luck. The story follows Xuan, a street-smart vagabond who rises to become a national hero during the latter years of the French colonial era in the ‘30s. Dumb Luck satirizes the shallowness of the bourgeoisie, its common stereotypes, foreign oppression, and Vietnamese bureaucracy. This book and the author’s other works were banned from the ‘50s to the late ‘80s, but today, the novel is considered a classic of Vietnamese literature.
