Reviewed by Joséphine on
My full book review is up on Word Revel.
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February 9, 2018
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Initial thoughts: Sharlene Teo writes well and chooses her words precisely. She's very talented and the years of hard work she spent on honing her craft are evident.
There are three time settings —1970s, 2003 and 2020. Each focuses on a different character. These three characters' lives intersect in 2003 but rather than building up towards something, each chapter offers a vignette into different points in time. They're like scenes randomly pulled out of a movie reel, making it rather disjointed.
I liked reading Ponti while I was immersed in it and was quite taken in by the nostalgia that tinged the historical portrayals of Singapore. Yet, when I think of the book as whole, I feel indifferent. I wanted answers to the questions that first few chapters raised but didn't find any. That's why I wasn't wholly satisfied after reading the last page. Then again, maybe it's the genre of literary fiction that Ponti squarely fits into rather than the novel itself that I'm not accustomed to.
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Note: I received an advanced reading copy from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 9 February, 2018: Finished reading
- 9 February, 2018: Reviewed