The South
Aw allows much to remain unknown, uncertain, or unsaid in The South, and he does so beautifully, allowing readers to find the nuance within the very specific scenes ... A strong opening for Aw’s projected quartet, a quiet yet expansive novel, and it’s with great anticipation that I discovered that he is already hard at work on the second installment. If the first book is anything to go by, there is a lot to look forward to.
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Gorgeous ... The sensuality of the prose is just one of the pleasures of Aw’s writing. With The South, he has crafted a story of yearning for autonomy, escape, financial independence and excitement that is suffused with sexual longing and the ache of nostalgia ... While I’m not convinced that The South needs a sequel, I’ll stay tuned. But for now, this shimmering, psychologically rich tale of first love and a family at a crossroads stands taller than those ill-fated tamarind trees.
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Although the novel is an exquisite portrait of young love, its main theme is a different kind of highly relatable yearning: to live your life as you wish. In this first instalment, all the characters are imprisoned by custom, expectation, poverty or sometimes bonds of their own making. Whether they can break free will be revealed in the subsequent novels.
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