By Tania Jayatilaka, Tatler
Mar 04, 2024
Source: Tatler
There’s nothing quite like a good work of fiction to transport you to imaginary worlds vastly different from the familiarity of your own surroundings. But in the past decade or so, numerous Malaysian authors have come to the forefront, proving that Malaysian stories and experiences have a place in the cultural zeitgeist both locally and abroad.
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Once We Were There by Bernice Chauly
Set in 1990’s Malaysia during the turbulent ‘Reformasi’ period, journalist Delonix Regia is the protagonist of Bernice Chauly’s debut novel, Once We Were There, a skilfully-woven tale that traverses corruption, vice and loss in a city that’s rapidly changing. When Delonix’s two-year-old daughter Alba is kidnapped, she must confront the terrible secret of a city where babies are sold and girls are trafficked.