Synopses & Reviews
By an author described by critics as "the most accomplished Malaysian writer, full stop," Lake Like a Mirror is a scintillating exploration of the lives of women buffeted by powers beyond their control.
Squeezing themselves between the gaps of rabid urbanization,
patriarchal structures and a theocratic government, these women find
their lives twisted in disturbing ways.
In precise and disquieting prose, Ho Sok Fong draws her readers into a
richly atmospheric world of naked sleepwalkers in a rehabilitation
center for wayward Muslims, mysterious wooden boxes, gossip in
unlicensed hairdressers, hotels with amnesiac guests, and poetry classes
with accidentally charged politics — a world that is peopled with the
ghosts of unsaid words, unmanaged desires and uncertain statuses,
surreal and utterly true.
Review
"[Ho Sok Fong]
has created a world in these stories that is entirely, and uniquely, her
own. Straddling the surreal and the pointedly political, Ho reveals
herself to be a writer of immense talent and range." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Excellent....Ho Sok Fong's
vivid imagination and keen eye for women's pain, gracefully translated,
are hallmarks of a deeply talented writer." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Striking....Ho Sok Fong's fable-like constructions are sometimes cryptic, often surprising, and almost always moving." Foreword Reviews
Synopsis
By an author described by critics as "the most accomplished Malaysian writer, full stop, Lake Like a Mirror is a scintillating exploration of the lives of women buffeted by powers beyond their control. Squeezing themselves between the gaps of rabid urbanization, patriarchal structures and a theocratic government, these women find their lives twisted in disturbing ways.
In precise and disquieting prose, Ho Sok Fong draws her readers into a richly atmospheric world of naked sleepwalkers in a rehabilitation center for wayward Muslims, mysterious wooden boxes, gossip in unlicensed hairdressers, hotels with amnesiac guests, and poetry classes with accidentally charged politics--a world that is peopled with the ghosts of unsaid words, unmanaged desires and uncertain statuses, surreal and utterly true.
About the Author
Ho Sok Fong is the author of the short story collections
Lake Like a Mirror and
Maze Carpet. Her literary awards include the Chiu Ko Fiction
Prize (2015), the 25th China Times Short Story Prize, and the 30th
United Press Short Story Prize. She has a PhD in Chinese Language and Literature from NTU Singapore, and lives in Malaysia.
Natascha Bruce translates fiction from Chinese. Her work includes short stories by Hong Kong surrealist writer Dorothy Tse,
Lonely Face by Singapore's Yeng Pway Ngon and, with Nicky Harman,
A Classic Tragedy by Xu Xiaobin.