The Disappearance of Patrick Zhou
- Finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize
ISBN: 9789815105308
Cover Type: Paperback
Page Count: 256
Release Date: Dec 2023
Language: English
Buy the book here: Epigram Books
A young woman must solve the fifteen-year-old disappearance of her uncle. The Zhou-Guthrie company is a powerful one, with a palm oil fortune built on the suffering of others. One night, Patrick Zhou, the charismatic heir to the business, disappears en route to a conference, never to be seen again.
Fifteen years later, Zhou-Guthrie is a failing dynasty. The matriarch, Doris Zhou, is on her deathbed. In her last lucid moments, Doris tasks her granddaughter, Layla, with finding out what happened to Patrick. To solve this mystery, Layla must uncover corporate espionage, environmental crimes and family secrets—perhaps intimately connected to the ghost stories Uncle Patrick told her years ago.
Reviews:
- A gritty family mystery in The Disappearance Of Patrick Zhou | The Straits Times
- “… while it’s been marketed w supernatural horror vibes, it’s also in many ways an ANTI-Crazy Rich Asians” | Ng Yi-Sheng
Acts of Self Consumption
- Galileo Press May/June Reading Period Finalist
- Longlist for YesYes Books Open Reading in Poetry
ISBN: 9780645651225
Cover Type: Paperback
Page Count: 104
Release date: August 2023
Language: English
Buy the book here: Recent Work Press
The dictionary defines consumption as both the ‘use of a resource’ and ‘a wasting disease’. This collection explores the different acts of self consumption a person can go through—sacrifice and selfishness, defeat and hubris. It’s an unpacking of guilt for making the wrong choices; for contradictory compulsions; for complicity.
Reviews:
- Ally Chua’s Acts Of Self Consumption starts small before devouring everything | The Straits Times
- “With a voice marked by its distinct assertiveness, it is difficult to believe that this is Chua’s debut collection.” | Quarterly Literature Review Singapore
- “… there’s an expanse in here that you don’t usually get in #sgpoetry.” | Ng Yi-Sheng
ally chua 