Ponti by Sharlene Teo

Published: 2018, Picador

Genre: Fiction

Themes: Singapore, teenage friendships, ambition, loss

My rating (out of 5): ❤❤❤

Reading this book is rather like looking through a kaleidoscope as the key elements are shown from many different perspectives, but new pieces of information are constantly falling into place. The time-line flips backwards and forwards as we follow teenage school friends Szu and Circe and discover how their lives have been influenced by a set of three horror movies staring Szu's mother, Amisa.

When Amisa was a teenager herself, she was spotted by a wealthy man who wanted to make a film about a Pontianak, which is a mythical female ghost from Singaporean folklore. The man chose Amisa because of her classic beauty and promised he would make her a star if she would agree to leave her job and come and take the lead in his film. In the end they made three films about the Ponti, but they were not successful as audiences had tired of traditional stories and were looking for more sophisticated movies.

Amisa defined herself as being a successful actor, although she was never able to find any other work in that field, so eventually married to a local man and had her daughter Szu. Despite having a home and family, Amisa was never happy with her lot and vented her frustration on her husband and child. Szu was constantly aware of her mother's disappointment and felt herself to be to blame as she was not special enough to deserve her mother's love and attention.

By the age of sixteen Szu is a loner but she becomes aware of another girl, Circe, who also struggles to fit in at school and the two of them become close friends. This new friendship makes everything seem more bearable but life has further challenges in store for Szu and she is eventually pushed to her limit both mentally and physically.

This is a clever book that is a debut novel for Sharlene Teo, and it has gathered a lot of praise from literary critics. The book is carefully crafted to allow for revelations and plot twists and the language is written in a style that is crisp and modern. There is also an element of dark humour about the writing that perfectly captures the mood of an articulate teenager dealing with anxiety and isolation. I think most people would find it an engaging read.

Comments

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