Hot off the press - Review of To Know Where I'm Coming From (Feb 10)

Feb 10, 2008
Hot off the press
By Stephanie Yap
TO KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM
By Johann S. Lee
Cannon International/Paperback/
280 pages/ $21.40/(with GST)/
Times The Bookshop/***

FIRST, let's make it clear where this review is coming from. This
novel is not a work of great literature, at least not in the lyrical
sense.

Diary-like in its artless, earnest tone, a typical sentence goes like
this: 'The memories which washed over me came not in a gentle cascade
but in a drowning torrent, not so much in a montage of images as deep
stirrings in my consciousness.'

But as Lee has said numerous times in interviews, he has no illusions
of being praised for his prose style, but is more concerned with
writing a novel which speaks to people.

With that in mind, it's safe to say that he has succeeded. As his
cliched but generally likeable characters undergo soap opera-worthy
trials, readers will quickly find themselves invested in their lives
and rooting for them to find happiness, or at least hope.

Our hero is Ben, the son of a wealthy family who has lived in London
since his university days. Recovering from a bad break-up with his
partner of seven years, he heads back to Singapore in an attempt to
heal himself.

On touchdown, he catches up with his old friend Yusof, a renowned
playwright who has written a play based on Singapore's first gay
novel. In a rather self-deprecating moment, the writer has his
narrator comment: 'The author left the country immediately after the
book's publication. So he was a quitter, just like me.'

What he was quitting and whether things have changed since then is
revealed as the story shuttles between London and Singapore. The
development and breakdown of Ben's long-term relationship is
contrasted with his budding relationship with Peter, an actor in the play.

This is not a novel for those who appreciate subtlety. It has plenty
of overtly cinematic and symbolic bits, such as a climatic
conversation between Ben and a lover which takes place on National
Day, with fireworks and fighter jets whizzing overhead.

As the novel is a semi-autobiographical examination of the writer's
own experiences as a gay emigrant returning home, it unabashedly draws
on real life for major characters and events. Arts lovers will enjoy
the thinly veiled representations of local theatre personalities, from
an enfant terrible named Yusof to a flamboyant impresario named Ignatius.

It is also no-holds-barred in its critique of a perceived lack of
freedom of expression in Singapore, particularly with regard to gay
pride. Lee disapproves of heavy-handed censorship, citing examples
such as the bans slapped on events such as a picnic and a lecture.

Yet, amid such pointed criticism, the writer also presents the
perspective of a pragmatic older person, and how someone like that can
appreciate the Singaporean brand of freedom.

At one point in London, Ben hears on the news that a gay man has been
badly beaten up in what is obviously a hate crime: 'I said to Holly
the first thing that came to my mind: 'This would never happen in
Singapore.''

Indeed, one of the book's strongest points is its ability to capture
the conflict of being caught between worlds - a universal, yet at the
same time uniquely Singaporean, condition.

There is the despair of a lost love warring with the hope of loving
again. And there is the yearning to escape a suffocating environment
for the larger world, yet the inescapable desire to be drawn back into
the embrace of home.

If you like this, read: Peculiar Chris (1992) by Johann S. Lee, about
a young man coming out in Singapore. The book is out of print, but
some copies are available for loan at the National Library and at the
Pelangi Pride Centre at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, 04-01.

Pelangi Pride Centre Presents... An Afternoon with Johann S Lee (Dec 29)

PELANGI PRIDE CENTRE PRESENTS

An Afternoon with Johann S Lee
(Author of 'Peculiar Chris' and 'To Know Where I'm Coming From')
& Ng Yi-Sheng
(Poet and playwright, also known for his documentary book, 'SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century')

Saturday, 29 December 2007
Pelangi Pride Centre @ Bianco (21 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Level 4)
4-6pm
RSVP to pelangipridecentre@yahoo.com

Pelangi Pride Centre is proud to present a special event on the last
Saturday of 2007 - an afternoon with author, Johann S Lee, and
Ng Yi-Sheng, poet and playwright.

Many of us will remember with great nostalgia, the feeling of reading
Singapore's first gay novel, 'Peculiar Chris' when it was released in 1992.
Relive your first furtive glances at Singaporean gay literature in this
afternoon with the author.

Also get a chance to quiz Johann about the motivations in writing his second
novel 'To Know Where I'm Coming From'. Why did he take so long before
penning this second book?

Yi-Sheng (who majored in Comparative Literature & Writing at Columbia
University USA and curated IndigNation), together with Johann, will
facilitate a discussion around the relevance of Singapore gay fiction.

Join us on Saturday, 29 December at Pelangi Pride Centre,
for an informal and interactive afternoon.

About Johann's Latest Book: 'To Know Where I'm Coming From'

"A gripping story of love, caught between the gay worlds of London and
Singapore, unashamedly describing queer life as it is today: sexy and
sordid, romantic and political, frustrated and ecstatic."
- Ng Yi-Sheng, poet and playwright

"Hauntedly captivating and quietly powerful. Set against a diorama of
nostalgia and irresistible change, Lee observantly explores the ache of
falling in love and falling apart. For a Singapore which has evolved since
Peculiar Chris, Lee's assured second novel revisits the notions of choice
and choosing in a manner which, to his readers, has become not just
necessary, but imperative."
- Daren Shiau, author

"Read his novel... for its sheer honesty and at times heart wrenching
moments... Its importance in staking a claim in the territory of the
narrative of the overseas gay Singaporean male as well as the matured
Singaporean gay male experience, is not to be underestimated."
- Trevvy.com

"To read this book is not just to know where the author is coming from, but
to recognise, as gay people in a postmodern Asia, ourselves. How we love,
where we hope to go. Who we are."
- Fridae.com

Soft Launch of "To Know Where I'm Coming From" (Dec 8)

Come to the Community Fair this Saturday (8 Dec) and
be the first to grab a copy of Johann S Lee’s latest
book, ‘To Know Where I’m Coming From’.

…. Yes, THAT Johann S Lee, author of Singapore’s first
gay novel, ‘Peculiar Chris’.

It’s been a looong 15 year wait since that book was
published and we at Pelangi Pride Centre are very
pleased that Johann has picked us to receive the first
few copies of his second novel, ‘To Know Where I’m
Coming From’ before it hits the bookshelves later this
month.

Grab your copy, priced at $20 this Saturday! Limited
stocks available.

About Johann’s Latest Book: 'To Know Where I'm Coming
From'

"A gripping story of love, caught between the gay
worlds of London and
Singapore, unashamedly describing queer life as it is
today: sexy and
sordid, romantic and political, frustrated and
ecstatic."
- Ng Yi-Sheng, poet and playwright

"Hauntedly captivating and quietly powerful. Set
against a diorama of nostalgia and irresistible
change, Lee observantly explores the ache of falling
in love and falling apart. For a Singapore which has
evolved since Peculiar Chris, Lee's assured second
novel revisits the notions of choice and choosing in a
manner which, to his readers, has become not just
necessary, but imperative."
- Daren Shiau, author

"Read his novel... for its sheer honesty and at times
heart wrenching moments... Its importance in staking a
claim in the territory of the narrative of the
overseas gay Singaporean male as well as the matured
Singaporean gay male experience, is not to be
underestimated."
- Trevvy.com

"To read this book is not just to know where the
author is coming from, but
to recognise, as gay people in a postmodern Asia,
ourselves. How we love,
where we hope to go. Who we are."
- Fridae.com

More about Community Fair -
http://www.pelangipridecentre.org/events/200712.htm