Sebastian Sim

I read Sim's other book Let's Give It Up for Gimme Lao! earlier this year. I quite enjoyed that book; it was a fun read, with sharp satire and humour. I was therefore looking forward to this book, but I feel rather let down. I don't think it lived up to the promise of its predecessor, and despite the fact that it won the Epigram Prize in 2018, I didn't think it was particularly good.

The Riot Act presents a fictionalised account of the 2013 Little India riot in Singapore, where migrant workers, primarily from India, attacked a bus after it fatally struck a migrant labourer. The event and its aftermath not only displayed the powerful control and censorship exercised by the Singapore government, but also the terrible plight of migrant workers, who build the city's infrastructure but are treated with disparate, exploitative, and often cruel regulations and behavior. The events that followed (a _targeted alcohol ban, heavy fees to be paid by political bloggers, a public protest, scandals concerning the rich and powerful) are all well known in Singaporean politics, but Sim deals with these issues with a tone that isn't sharp, satirical,or even particularly funny. The tone instead is of a sniggering schoolboy who has yet to outgrow his fear of girls. The book is narrated from the perspective of three women, and while I don't think that men should not write from the perspective of women (or vice versa), this book is a great example of how some men are unable to write about women at all. Each woman in a book that focuses on women is depicted as malicious, manipulative, cowardly, and stupid; the only characters positively depicted are gay men or dead migrant labourers. It certainly says a great deal about the author; I don't think it says very much about the events he is claiming to portray. This is a mean-spirited, unpleasant little book and I did not care for it.… (more)

Let's Give It Up For Gimme Lao! by Sebastian Sim traces the life of young Lao Chee Hong (whose name translates to 'Grand Ambition') from his birth to death, amidst Singapore's rapid development and transformation. An English speaking neighbour, Elizabeth, gives him the western name of 'Sidney' (after Sidney Poitier) - unable to pronounce it, he's known forever more to friends and family by his version of the name, 'Gimme'. From his birth, to his death, Gimme is both, a representative, and a critique of the Singaporean dream - a 'man in white' who conforms to social expectations, follows the expected path to professional success and political power, and gains respect and standing at any cost - but is hampered eventually by his own conformity. The world is changing around Gimme but Gimme cannot, or will not, adapt - this is ultimately his downfall.

Gimme is born on the day Singapore becomes independent and splits from Malaysia, but because of a nurse who bears a grudge against his mother, he is not recognised for what he is: the first child born in the nation of Singapore. At the beginning of the book, Sim tell us that this is one of three secrets about his own life that Gimme doesn't know - the second relates to the circumstances of his parents' marriages (exiled from a rich family, disgraced because they're cousins), and the third is the unspeakable suicide of a young boy, who is terribly affected after witnessing a humiliating, public punishment imposed on Gimme in primary school. Gimme follows the footsteps of his ambitious, but abrasive mother, who soon outstrips her lackadaisical, passive husband. When rebuked for her aggressive approach to professional success, she tells her husband, “I don’t aspire to be nice. I do what is necessary to get what I want." It's a principle that Gimme follows, but towards the end of the book, as he and his mother reflect on their choices, she asks, "...where did that lead us? Alone. You and me. With all our impeccable achievements to flaunt and no one dear to celebrate with us."

A key theme in the book is Gimme's (and by extension, Singapore society's) struggle to come to terms with homosexuality in society. Gimme himself is straight and homophobic, and when he encounters homosexuality within his own circle, his homophobia causes him to lash out cruelly. The backdrop of the novel sees how queer people in Singapore live hidden, but proud lives, and how they struggled to come to terms with social discrimination and harassment. Section 377A of Singapore's Penal Code, introduced under British rule, criminalises homosexuality between men: it has been repealed in 2023, after much struggle, but the book takes place against nascent movements arguing for its removal. Although the author was clearly critiquing social homophobia, the depictions of homophobia in the book were a difficult read, and often very distressing.

At the core of the book is the enduring conflict of Singapore society: reconciling individual will and freedom with social pressures of conformity and obedience to law. The book is full of little local references that bring the book to life for anyone familiar with Singapore: thinly veiled allusions to actual political scandals, a depiction of the way Singapore handled the SARS outbreak, life in a HDB flat (government housing, which is still about 90% of housing in Singapore). Even for the non-Singaporean, Sim's wry, satirical tone keeps you engaged.

While this book is not perfect (and could have used some hefty editing - in particular, the endless recounting of an amateur theater production), I found it an interesting, valuable - and for the most part, enjoyable read.… (more)