Here at WoWasis, we’ve found some good reads about Singapore , including a number of very good fiction and non-fiction books. Here are some of our favorites:

Fiction 

It takes a brave writer to create a bland protagonist, especially in a crime novel, where, presumably, the reader aspires to the lofty wit, intelligence, good looks, charm, and sexual skills of the hero(ine).  So  let’s start off by saying Jake Needham has taken a pretty serious plunge into this little-traveled literary abyss of  in giving us Inspector Tay of the Singapore Police in The Ambassador’s Wife (2006, ISBN 974-93750-8-4), a man whose prime pleasures are drinking strong coffee, reading a book or two, and reflecting on the lack of excitement in his life.  Funny thing is, this construct actually works well, and represents, we’d guess, a metaphor of the well-scrubbed city-state of Singapore itself.  Tay is a man of comfortable routines, and the ghastly murder of a high-profile Western woman puts him at odds with an interesting collection of Occidental high-priests working for the underbelly of the covert world, all of whom – at least initially – consider him to be their intellectual inferior.  The fact that Needham is able to keep the reader riveted through the 349 pages of this formidable story is a tribute to Needham’s growing mastery of the craft.  For our money, the unpredictable ending, combining with the bittersweet subplot of unsatisfied love interests, prompts us to ask ourselves if Inspector Tay deserves another book.  Frankly, it does.  Tay is an unusual protagonist, equally uncomfortable in Singapore and Bangkok, disestablished, but certainly not overmatched by the convoluted series of players in Bangkok’s evolving world of police, military, international politics, and the demimonde.  Needham has written a terrific book, and one which begs a sequel.

For many, the prototypical Singaporean fiction novel is Paul Theroux’s Saint Jack (1973, ISBN-10: 0140041575). Jack Flowers makes a living by provisioning, whether it be food, booze, or women, and his clients include shipping companies, individual travelers, and eventually the US Army. Flowers is bright, but not brilliant, running afoul of the local Tong, and losing his business and gaining a bit of additional real estate on his skin as a result. Theroux’s insight into Flowers’ thought process is one of the most compelling elements of this book, written in the first person, in the setting of a Singapore that no longer exists. Ben Slater has written a wonderful book on the making of the film based on Saint Jack (see below).

For those wishing to get a keep into the world of Singapore’s brothels, gambling joints, and protection rackets, Antonio Chan’s Lusts from the Underworld (1991, ISBN 981-00-2866-0) is a must-read.  In this well-researched novel, with the exception of one or two good-hearted gals, there only anti-heroes doing their utmost to cheat, backstab, and kill friends and foes alike.   It’s a refreshing read for those that wish Singapore were a bit more gritty.  In its underbelly, it apparently is.

Non-Fiction

If you’ve seen Peter Bogdanovich’s film Saint Jack, you’ve seen a wild side of Singapore that no longer exists.  Based on Paul Theroux’s novel, and starring Ben Gazzara, the film has documentary value as well, showing streets, buildings, and exotic people no longer there to be seen.  Ben Slater’s Kinda Hot: the Making of Saint Jack in Singapore (1006, ISBN 978-981-261-069-0) is a wonderful investigation into the making of the film, which was ultimately banned in Singapore.  Here, we meet the principals, revel in the peccadilloes, and get a great behind-the-scenes view of the events surrounding the making of the film, much of which was derived from interviews that virtually everyone involved seemed delighted to provide.  What soon becomes apparent was that a great many of the people involved were actually living the life portrayed in the film, and the memories of those times have remained some of their best. Slater also has an excellent blog that he continues to update on all things Saint Jack. The best way to order this book is directly through him at his email address, gonetopersia@gmail.com   (Amazon’s waay too expensive).

Today’s Singapore is a clean, relatively staid city-state that exudes a button-down philosophy that seems decidedly “non Southeast Asian” in character.  How it got that way, and whether it’s ultimately gone too far is the stuff of GC Soh’s Slices of Singapore (2003, ISBN  981-04-9927-2).  Here, the author does his best to explain the changes made under the Lee Kwan Yew regime, and puts Singapore’s emphasis on wealth, academic examinations, real estate, and public image under the microscope.  He also, provides interesting insight into social customs, such as the Singaporean wedding, and marriage law.  His analysis of the reasons behind Singapore’s lack of entrepreneurial spirit will be of interest to anyone considering starting a business in Singapore.