Hades

by Aishah Zainal

In 2012, sixteen-year-old troublemaker Kei and his mother move into a decaying low-cost flat from the slums at the edge of town, right next to Maryam, a young mother, and her three-year-old son Ishak. Shunned by society, Kei and Maryam develop an unspoken bond, which starts to fray as the ghosts of their pasts circle in. Both wonder if they can free themselves of the men who made them the abominations everyone considers them to be, and of the despair creeping in around them.

297 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it omds, the dialogue is really fresh and the way maryam and kei minds work are so fascinating i enjoyed reading about them and learning more about them! aishah zainal really knows how to make u care for the characters

one thing though...

!!!! SPOILERS BELOW !!!!

really happy for kei getting his ending but WTF WAS MARYAM'S ENDINGGG 😭😭 WHAT HAPPENED TO ISHAK AND HER WHY ARE THEY MISSING im going to sob and punch the air and pretend that they eventually find each other after the interview and they met in a bakery that she co-owns with cik sri (delusional, i know)

i know stories like this rarely ever end happily. that's just the reality of our harsh world. but it is precisely that harsh reality is why i need to cling onto the hope that all of them (save for wan... fly high brother 🙏🏼🕊️) made it out of poverty, especially for maryam and ishak3

[ishahbandar 🍉🇵🇸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

when your circle small but all y'all crazy

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the most interesting and life-changing books I have read in a while!
I feel every Malaysian should read this, because it is a book for Malaysians, about Malaysia (though the setting is in one particular city). I feel the description is spot-on, about life here in Malaysia, especially in the 90s? This book feels like both a story about the struggle of the characters (who I want to see triumph over the adversities presented their way), and also a statement on life itself, which I feel is at the true heart of the book.

The narration is from the soul, about the soul of Malaysia, not just a commentary on a significant part of our society but also, I feel, one which has touched me, and, I daresay, every one of us readers, because in all of us, whether hidden or clear, is a little of Kei, of Maryam, their parents (willing or unwilling), their group of friends, of Ishak, Cik Sri, Vivian, the security guard (who has a name), the teachers, the gardener, the cat, the other characters who populate the world of the novel, even the (sadly) more despicable villain-like antagonist, who seeks to take by force that which is most sacred to a person. But are things constantly being taken from us? Are we taking? Are we taking more than we should and not giving enough? Should we even take at all? Who are we in this world? Are we destined to rot and die if we don't carve our own place here, if we don't carve out something for ourselves? Probably each reader would interpret it differently. It is a commentary on life and on the world, especially relevant to Malaysia but also one that can be identified with on a global scale.

The writing is self-assured, with conviction and has a style of its own, something which I have also seen in the Malaysian writers I adore and admire. This book has a soul. It has a heart. And once read, one cannot walk away from it untouched. It is that kind of book. It should also be studied, along with other numerous great Malaysian books which have been written. This is a modern take on life. The writing style is very unique, which I feel works because the writer has made it work, through an alchemy of her own which may not be readily explainable. It is a work of art. And art itself, I feel, borrows its magic from life and imagination. Read it!

[Jess Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a raw, colourful and intense book. I love the cultural and different racial background references. Being a Malaysian myself, this truly struck a nerve. I can definitely paint the sceneries and backgrounds vividly in my mind with the writing being a Malaysian.
I enjoyed the pop culture, literature and musical references peppered throughout the book. Not gonna lie, book felt heavy to read and my heart was broken a good number of times while reading.

I bawled my eyes out towards the end. That creep deserved to die and I felt that he died too easily. And I am so happy for Kei. I wish there was a happy ending for Maryam and Ishak too. 😭 where are they and is Cik Sri okay? I just want them to be happy! 😭 they deserve so much love and happiness!

Thank you for writing such a beautiful book (and not the tears) Aishah! ❤️

[nasdag · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of a single mother and her fatherless child, masterfully told from the perspectives of both (Kei-Wen Yi, Maryam-Ishak). In doing so, the author vividly paints the picture of the lower class struggle in Malaysia touching on the issues of poverty, drug abuse, infrastructure, education, racism. Have to admit I got a lump in my throat at several points in this book, especially from the image of Maryam pushing a stolen shopping cart with her 3yo son Ishak in it for miles on end, through rain or shine collecting garbage to sell at a meagre sum to make ends meet. The most heartbreaking part is of course, knowing that there could be real Maryams and Ishaks out there doing the same or something like it, abandoned and kicked down by the society into a worldly hell not so much for their sins, but their circumstances. An overall enjoyable read that at the same time devastates and makes me think, although in the end I feel quite unsettled as the continuation of the story of Maryam and Ishak is left to the reader's imagination.

Kudos to the author for a powerful debut.

[Dini Mohamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book made me feel like when things were gonna get going, there's suddenly a flashback to the protagonist's past. Different flashbacks when that flashback ended. So slow. Could have been condensed into shorter paragraphs. Didnt need to squeeze every trauma imaginable to the characters' past. The best part was when they were getting the food stall going and getting material for the magazine when author just talked about what happened instead of spending a page analysing every trigger. Also hoped author did some research on drugs instead of just writing fentanyl when thats not the symptom its users exhibit.

However I put it at 3* because i've read worse less imaginative writing and I loved Maryam and Kei's friendship and didnt try to shoehorn romance into it.

[Syirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book is focused on the characters' relationships & personalities. It's pretty depressing too. I can't explain it eloquently at all, but as someone who lived in multiple countries, I feel the class struggle in Southeast Asia is a different ballpark than in the West. Pair that up with race & patriarchy and you have a recipe for a very, very sad book. 1 thing I disliked was that the writing style was ... too clever? Big words, circular prose, random cultural references, long exposition. I think the meandering writing distracted me from the character study. It didn't strike the balance between "intelligent" & accessible.

[Izzati Sofea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to see this as drama or movie!! Feels like I'm watching those Cerekarama on TV3 or those telemovies on RTM.

The authors did a great job in writing that I could literally visualize everything and anything.

Totally did not expect the changes, but along the story, the character did have development and I am so happy for them 🥹

But I want to know more about Maryam although the story would not end as lives for the character is on...

Solid 5 star from me!

[aezr · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is going to be my roman empire. the grit and the humanity in the writing... this is kinda a masterclass on characterizations – kei and maryam are literally so well written and realistic. the symbolisms in this book, the social commentary, EVERYTHING is actually perfect. i'm so so so moved by this book 🙏 literature at its finest! PLEASE read this !!!

(i never wrote any reviews on this app, but this book is too damn good to not do anything about it after reading)

[Amzar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was overall a pretty good book. I liked the pacing, plot, allegories, and themes that were discussed. They were handled pretty well.

However, I found that there were too many typos which took me out of my immersion of the book. Also, the author used too many fancy words, which I felt was unnecessary. I had to look up many of these fancy words and it seems weird that high school kids would use any of these words.

[Nur Zalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story tells about the dark side of Malaysia that we have to accept it. It is reality. Although it just a fiction. Maybe it really happen in the community. Thank you for writing this kind of story. Thumbs up

[JANANI · Rating 4 out of 5]

The predominant emotions in this book are anger and helplessness. And rightly so. Potrays well the impact of abuse and neglect on a person's psyche.