The Harmony Silk Factory

The writer is a Malaysian with a very un-Malaysian name : Tash Aw, probably a glamourised version of a typical Chinese name. However, the book is very Malaysian (although the author is London-based). And a very good book to read, particularly since our Ministers are all clamouring for us to be more hyped up about Merdeka.

The book is set in the war-years of WWI and the Malayan communist period post-1957. It speaks in 3 voices : Johnny Lim's son, Johnny Lim's wife Snow Soong, and Johnny Lim's best friend Peter Wormwood. All 3 tell the story of Johnny Lim - the protagonist who is at once good and evil.

Part of the intrigue of the book was the way Tash manages to make the reader wonder as to what goes on in Johnny's mind - Johnny is such a real person that he's selfish enough to do whatever it takes to achieve his ambition, but at times you see glimpses of how he tries to be a good father. But just as you think a good father cannot be that bad a person, he goes and does something his son cannot forgive.

It's a beautiful wonderful debut novel by Tash Aw. I like it very much. Would recommend everyone to give it a read. Particularly if you're seated in the hilly Kinta Valley, so mesmerisingly-described in The Harmony Silk Factory.