Spirits Abroad
Zen Cho
2014
This collection of short stories is a fabulous entry for western readers into the world of Malaysian culture and folklore and its various possible adaptations into the future. I would say many of the stories are in the style of magical realism, as practised by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and others, rather than straight science fiction or fantasy. The bonds of family and ancestry and the need to adapt are frequent themes here, best exemplified in the standout stories, The House of Aunts, and The Four Generations of Chang E. Zen’s exotic language is often beautiful and her characters’ speech is littered with native Malaysian words and slang whilst still being perfectly comprehensible to western readers. The book’s proud publishers, Fixi Novo, refuse to italicise Malaysian words, as they say in their manifesto, included, ‘italics are a form of apology’.
Story and Author | Tags/Hub Areas | Therapeutic Tags | Personal Rating |
The First Witch of Damansara | Magical realism, witches, spirits, vampires, Malaysia | Acceptance, ancestral connection | *** |
First National Forum On the Position of Minorities in Malaysia | Invisibility, invisible spirits, orang bunian, Malaysia, politics | Love, women’s rights, ‘invisible’ minorities, tolerance | **** |
The House of Aunts | Vampires, Malaysia, pontianaks, ancestry, coming of age, horror | Love, solidarity, compassion, community | ****1/2 |
One Day Travelcard For Fairyland | Fairies, British private school, telepathy, fantasy | Humour, ingenuity | *** |
Rising Lion | Lion dance, ghosts, dance troupe, ghostbusters, Chinese traditions | Compassion, belonging | ***1/2 |
The Mystery of the Suet Swain | Orang Minyak, loser ghost, supernatural creature, stalker, social media, dating, horror | Ingenuity, community | ***1/2 |
Prudence and the Dragon | Magical realism, human-dragon hybrid, dating | Humour, whimsy | ** |
The Earth Spirit’s Favourite Anecdote | Animism, spirits, toyol, business, exploitation, pagan return, magical realism | Love, language, personal boundaries, home | **** |
Liyana | Magical realism, pineapple spirit, nuguo, ancestors, transmogrification | Love, home, release, death | **** |
The Four Generations of Chang E | The Moon, Earth exodus, immigration, radiation mutation, inter-species relationships, rabbit people, adaptation surgery, evolution, genetic manipulation | Adaptation, mutability, survival, acceptance of change | ***** |