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Tale of the Dreamer's Son
By the author of the international bestseller Evening Is The Whole Day, this novel set in Malaysia will appeal to readers of Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai
In what was once a Scottish tea planter’s mansion in the highlands of Peninsular Malaysia, all religions are one and race is unheard of. That is, until the occupants of what is now known as the Muhibbah Centre for World Peace are joined by Salmah, a Malay Muslim woman. “All are welcome here,” they are reminded by their spiritual leader, Cyril Dragon, who is ignoring news of the changing political climate with its increasing religious intolerance. He is still trying to forget May 13, 1969, when ethnic tensions boiled over into bloodshed. Tale of the Dreamer’s Son guides us from that fateful incident in Malaysian history to the present day. Throughout, Samarasan’s polyphonic, rambunctious prose brilliantly navigates the tug-of-war between ideals and reality.
In what was once a Scottish tea planter’s mansion in the highlands of Peninsular Malaysia, all religions are one and race is unheard of. That is, until the occupants of what is now known as the Muhibbah Centre for World Peace are joined by Salmah, a Malay Muslim woman. “All are welcome here,” they are reminded by their spiritual leader, Cyril Dragon, who is ignoring news of the changing political climate with its increasing religious intolerance. He is still trying to forget May 13, 1969, when ethnic tensions boiled over into bloodshed. Tale of the Dreamer’s Son guides us from that fateful incident in Malaysian history to the present day. Throughout, Samarasan’s polyphonic, rambunctious prose brilliantly navigates the tug-of-war between ideals and reality.
493 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2022
17 people are currently reading
2815 people want to read
About the author
Preeta Samarasan
13 books133 followersPlease see www.preetasamarasan.com for more about the book and a regularly updated schedule of events.
***
Preeta Samarasan has attended a lot of schools, and you should contact her to say hello if you knew her at any of them:
In Ipoh, Malaysia:
The Wesley Church (ACS) Nursery School;
The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Kindergarten;
SRK Tarcisian Convent;
SM Convent, Ipoh (the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus).
In Montezuma, New Mexico:
The Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (now UWC-USA);
In Clinton, New York:
Hamilton College
In Rochester, New York:
The Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester)
In Ann Arbor, Michigan:
The University of Michigan (MFA program in creative writing)
This is mostly what she has done with her life, attend schools. But now she stays at home and writes and only occasionally dreams about school.
You should also contact her if you happened to know her in some other capacity unconnected with schools, especially if you knew her a very long time ago. The longer ago you knew her, the more excited she will be to hear from you, though she will also be immensely excited to hear from you if you do not know her at all but have read her book and enjoyed it.
***
Preeta Samarasan has attended a lot of schools, and you should contact her to say hello if you knew her at any of them:
In Ipoh, Malaysia:
The Wesley Church (ACS) Nursery School;
The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Kindergarten;
SRK Tarcisian Convent;
SM Convent, Ipoh (the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus).
In Montezuma, New Mexico:
The Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (now UWC-USA);
In Clinton, New York:
Hamilton College
In Rochester, New York:
The Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester)
In Ann Arbor, Michigan:
The University of Michigan (MFA program in creative writing)
This is mostly what she has done with her life, attend schools. But now she stays at home and writes and only occasionally dreams about school.
You should also contact her if you happened to know her in some other capacity unconnected with schools, especially if you knew her a very long time ago. The longer ago you knew her, the more excited she will be to hear from you, though she will also be immensely excited to hear from you if you do not know her at all but have read her book and enjoyed it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 5, 2022
A new novel from Preeta Samarasan is a major event for Malaysian literature and I was grateful to have the opportunity to read it early, courtesy of NetGalley and publisher World Editions. This ambitious novel is centred around the dissolution of a syncretic religious sect in Cameron Highlands, founded by an idealist seeking a remedy for Malaysia’s persistent problems of racism and communalism. (He’s “one part bona fide soogee-cake-eating Eurasian one part Anglo-Indian well and truly stirred together”, for the Malaysians reading this; the story is narrated by his son, who’s living as a Malay-Muslim when we first encounter him as an adult looking back on the defining event of his childhood.)
Like the author’s first, the book is structured around key turning points of modern Malaysian history — here, the May 1969 race riots and Ops Lalang in 1987 — and takes these as a jumping off point to examine in close detail the intimate betrayals of family. Other preoccupations familiar from Preeta’s other writing: the response of children to the many failures of the adults around them, the operation of religion as a tool of domination, the pressure of other people (“what will the neighbours think” as a persistent concern of the characters), the impact of class and — of course — race.
I found the book immersive and compelling, the premise fascinating, but I’m not surprised it faced challenges getting published: this is a thoroughly Malaysian novel and makes few compromises for an assumed Western reader for whom much of the context and some of the language will be unfamiliar. I enjoyed this, of course, but it may make the book a more challenging read for some. I’ve always admired Preeta’s powers as a prose stylist and these are in full evidence here: the language is colourful, muscular and sure-footed; the voice ironic and often hilarious, even when dealing with tragedy and atrocity. I’m obsessed with literary Manglish and it’s a real (and rare!) pleasure to read a whole novel so skilfully narrated in it.
The structure and plot of the book present a couple of challenges for the pacing. The story is told in chapters alternating between the past and present, which can mean you’re whipped away to another era just as you’re getting invested in the events of one timeline. The narrative is structured as a build-up to a revelation about how and why the commune fell apart, so there is a lot of book where nothing much of conventional plot significance happens and then a small section at the end where a bunch of twists hit all at once. This wasn’t a problem for me as I don’t read literary fiction for the plot, but I could see the pacing losing some readers.
I have mixed feelings on how the novel handled gender and queerness, but these are spoilery; I’ll be interested to see what others think as more people read it.
Summed up: sad, funny, angry and individual, by a writer few can match for craft and insight into Malaysia. I thought it was a really interesting book and look forward to reading the author’s next.
Like the author’s first, the book is structured around key turning points of modern Malaysian history — here, the May 1969 race riots and Ops Lalang in 1987 — and takes these as a jumping off point to examine in close detail the intimate betrayals of family. Other preoccupations familiar from Preeta’s other writing: the response of children to the many failures of the adults around them, the operation of religion as a tool of domination, the pressure of other people (“what will the neighbours think” as a persistent concern of the characters), the impact of class and — of course — race.
I found the book immersive and compelling, the premise fascinating, but I’m not surprised it faced challenges getting published: this is a thoroughly Malaysian novel and makes few compromises for an assumed Western reader for whom much of the context and some of the language will be unfamiliar. I enjoyed this, of course, but it may make the book a more challenging read for some. I’ve always admired Preeta’s powers as a prose stylist and these are in full evidence here: the language is colourful, muscular and sure-footed; the voice ironic and often hilarious, even when dealing with tragedy and atrocity. I’m obsessed with literary Manglish and it’s a real (and rare!) pleasure to read a whole novel so skilfully narrated in it.
The structure and plot of the book present a couple of challenges for the pacing. The story is told in chapters alternating between the past and present, which can mean you’re whipped away to another era just as you’re getting invested in the events of one timeline. The narrative is structured as a build-up to a revelation about how and why the commune fell apart, so there is a lot of book where nothing much of conventional plot significance happens and then a small section at the end where a bunch of twists hit all at once. This wasn’t a problem for me as I don’t read literary fiction for the plot, but I could see the pacing losing some readers.
I have mixed feelings on how the novel handled gender and queerness, but these are spoilery; I’ll be interested to see what others think as more people read it.
Summed up: sad, funny, angry and individual, by a writer few can match for craft and insight into Malaysia. I thought it was a really interesting book and look forward to reading the author’s next.
May 27, 2022
I would like to thank Netgalley and World Editions for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a pretty funny book in spite of it's melancholy.
Sadly I thought the pacing was wrong. Everytime I started to get into the writing, the chapter would end and we would move towards another topic. The pacing felt wrong and the book is also very slow to begin..
However, it has been interesting learning about Malaysian culture.
It wasn't my cup of tea but I can see a lot of potential there and I have a feeling many will fall in love with it.
This is a pretty funny book in spite of it's melancholy.
Sadly I thought the pacing was wrong. Everytime I started to get into the writing, the chapter would end and we would move towards another topic. The pacing felt wrong and the book is also very slow to begin..
However, it has been interesting learning about Malaysian culture.
It wasn't my cup of tea but I can see a lot of potential there and I have a feeling many will fall in love with it.
May 19, 2022
This is an incredible book. The book is well written with a cast of well developed and believable characters and an enchanting storyline. The story is both heart-wrenching and humourous and I couldn't put it down. I loved it.
August 4, 2023
The author has a highly distinct voice and I admire that. The stream-of-consciousness-esque first person narration lends a nice Manglish-inspired voice, but is somewhat overwritten with its overuse of hyphenated adjectives and "lists without commas" (I'm not sure what is the name of this device). Nonetheless, I really respect how blunt this novel is in its critique of racial and religious relations in Malaysia. The story is able to weave the complicated reality of the Malaysian society with the messy personal lives of its cast of toxic, petty characters.
September 11, 2022
I really enjoy reading books from other cultures because not only does it give me some insight into cultures I don't know much about and two different countries histories, but also because I find it lovely to experience reading books written and very different narrative styles that I'm used to.
Tell the dreamers son is a Malaysian book, I know next to nothing about Malaysian political history or really much Southeast Asian history at all... And while of course this story is fiction I found it also gave me a lot of insight into things I'd previously known nothing about.
Some people may not like the way that the story jumps through time and I struggle with that myself, but I do think it worked really well for this particular book.
This book is written in Manglish which is a portmanteau of "Malaysian English". It is a Malaysian form of English, arguably a patois used by locals that is largely based on standard English, but with variations in grammatical rules and structures with injections of words in the local languages. (Thank you to Jamie in the comments for providing this definition). This isn't something that bothers me because I read a lot of stories from different countries, but it may turn some non Malaysian readers off. I personally find it adds to story and despite the fact that I may miss some context, I like it. I think it's acceptable for me, a random Canadian woman, to feel like a bit of an outsider when reading a Malaysian book.
One of my favorite things in this book was how it described the different ways parents can fuck up their children. From emotional neglect to emotional incest the children in this book are never treated appropriately.That's something that I can relate to and I think that it was portrayed very well here. People too easily forget that children are real human beings with their own thoughts, feelings, and agency. They're not belongings.
This is a story that spans decades. It is funny in some ways but also very sad. The prose is challenging but also accessible. I'd recommend this book definitely to anyone Malaysian or who knows about Malaysia, but id also recommend it to anyone interested in reading a book about class and religion and trauma and family.
Thanks to Netgalley and World Editions for providing me this advanced reader copy.
Tell the dreamers son is a Malaysian book, I know next to nothing about Malaysian political history or really much Southeast Asian history at all... And while of course this story is fiction I found it also gave me a lot of insight into things I'd previously known nothing about.
Some people may not like the way that the story jumps through time and I struggle with that myself, but I do think it worked really well for this particular book.
This book is written in Manglish which is a portmanteau of "Malaysian English". It is a Malaysian form of English, arguably a patois used by locals that is largely based on standard English, but with variations in grammatical rules and structures with injections of words in the local languages. (Thank you to Jamie in the comments for providing this definition). This isn't something that bothers me because I read a lot of stories from different countries, but it may turn some non Malaysian readers off. I personally find it adds to story and despite the fact that I may miss some context, I like it. I think it's acceptable for me, a random Canadian woman, to feel like a bit of an outsider when reading a Malaysian book.
One of my favorite things in this book was how it described the different ways parents can fuck up their children. From emotional neglect to emotional incest the children in this book are never treated appropriately.That's something that I can relate to and I think that it was portrayed very well here. People too easily forget that children are real human beings with their own thoughts, feelings, and agency. They're not belongings.
This is a story that spans decades. It is funny in some ways but also very sad. The prose is challenging but also accessible. I'd recommend this book definitely to anyone Malaysian or who knows about Malaysia, but id also recommend it to anyone interested in reading a book about class and religion and trauma and family.
Thanks to Netgalley and World Editions for providing me this advanced reader copy.
November 4, 2022
Thank you @psamsaran_writer and @worldedition books for the gifted copy of A Tale of A Dreamers Son!
📅: Nov 1! (Out yesterday!)
I have a special connection to Malaysia and Singapore, spending 2 years of my life in Kuala Lumpur. When I came across Preeta’s novel, I knew I had to pick it up soon. Samsaran is a prolific writer, and her latest novel is quintessential if you want to learn about racial politics and cultural history of Malaysia. In this immersive and compelling novel, Samsaran captures two significant events that have shaped the Malaysian history: the May 1969 riots and Ops Lalang that occurred in 1987.
The story, too, shares the story of colonial Malaysia set on a Scottish tea planter’s mansion, and at a time when all religions are one and the word - race - doesn’t exist in the vocabulary at the time. Written in the “Manglish” slang, through Samsaran’s beautiful and powerful prose, the aspect that remains the most meaningful for me how do socio-cultural and political events affect children, and if parents neglect their children, things can take a turn for the worst. Some societies, too, place a lot of pressure on children, and it’s important to note that Samsaran highlights this by using Malaysia’s turbulent history! Told in a past and present structure, this novel is an important contribution to Malaysian literature by Samsaran.
This novel was a pleasure to review, and my hope is that more people will read books that may contain unfamiliar culture or history, and Samsaran’s novel should not be missed!
#PreetaSamsaran #ATaleOfADreamersSon #WorldEditions
December 9, 2022
Preeta Samarasan is quite a popular author and has given best selling works in the past. This is my first book from the author and I had been really looking forward to reading this.
Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me as i thought it would given the setting of the story is what drove me to it in the first place. The author begins the narration during the early days of independent Malaysia, bearing the history of the past and events that occurred. The story is narrated by a son, and it tries to balance the current and the past, of people who lived and died, and continue to live on. Though there are a lot of historical facts that are tactfully handled, the use of slurs were quite jarring; it perhaps is justified given the setting, its a personal peeve. The non-linear narrative felt choppy and the stream of thought stopping abruptly.
I am quite glad to have read this, with local verbiage and vernacular intact and providing introduction to history of Malaysia.
Thank you to Netgalley and World Editions for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me as i thought it would given the setting of the story is what drove me to it in the first place. The author begins the narration during the early days of independent Malaysia, bearing the history of the past and events that occurred. The story is narrated by a son, and it tries to balance the current and the past, of people who lived and died, and continue to live on. Though there are a lot of historical facts that are tactfully handled, the use of slurs were quite jarring; it perhaps is justified given the setting, its a personal peeve. The non-linear narrative felt choppy and the stream of thought stopping abruptly.
I am quite glad to have read this, with local verbiage and vernacular intact and providing introduction to history of Malaysia.
Thank you to Netgalley and World Editions for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
December 22, 2022
Peopled with carefully observed and unforgettable characters, this exposes Malaysia’s societal tensions and raises universal questions about religious belief. Above all, the writing is poetic, witty, and unique.
June 23, 2022
An interesting and unusual mix of sadness and humor. I found this to be engaging and well-written. I like the author's imagination, and look forward to the author's future work.
Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!
Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!
August 11, 2024
Hmmm, mixed feelings about this book.
It’s rather original because it delves into issues that are often not discussed in Malaysia- race and religion within a political framework. The writer has written a satire about Malaysia, set in Malaysia about common Malaysian people.
Cyril Dragon was a child during the 1969 riots and it left him affected, so as a man he sets up the Muhibbah Centre for World Peace. This Centre welcomes everyone; where people accept all religions as equal and racial identity is discarded. The residents learn about all the religions, pray to all the prophets and believe in one God. In creating this utopia, Cyril hopes that children will grow up as true Malaysians.
Then enters Salmah and her son, Reza. Salmah is a Malay lady, who has a checkered past- she was brought up a Muslim but had a free wheeling lifestyle. Now Reza’s Aussie father has left her and she hears of this sanctuary located in Cameron Highlands. Salmah’s presence throws a spanner into the works. As in Animal Farm’s- all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others- we see a shift in the dynamics. At the same time, the political scenario is changing and there is a wave of arrests of those who breach the rules.
The writer uses a fair amount of local expressions and vernacular which captures the essence of Malaysian culture. There is interesting wordplay, she does flesh out characters well. I only was wondering how it would play out and felt the story drift towards the end. Rather like drifting out to sea, on a rogue breeze…
I do wonder if people who are not familiar with Malaysia, or it’s politics and it’s people can relate to this story… it may leave them baffled or bored.
It’s rather original because it delves into issues that are often not discussed in Malaysia- race and religion within a political framework. The writer has written a satire about Malaysia, set in Malaysia about common Malaysian people.
Cyril Dragon was a child during the 1969 riots and it left him affected, so as a man he sets up the Muhibbah Centre for World Peace. This Centre welcomes everyone; where people accept all religions as equal and racial identity is discarded. The residents learn about all the religions, pray to all the prophets and believe in one God. In creating this utopia, Cyril hopes that children will grow up as true Malaysians.
Then enters Salmah and her son, Reza. Salmah is a Malay lady, who has a checkered past- she was brought up a Muslim but had a free wheeling lifestyle. Now Reza’s Aussie father has left her and she hears of this sanctuary located in Cameron Highlands. Salmah’s presence throws a spanner into the works. As in Animal Farm’s- all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others- we see a shift in the dynamics. At the same time, the political scenario is changing and there is a wave of arrests of those who breach the rules.
The writer uses a fair amount of local expressions and vernacular which captures the essence of Malaysian culture. There is interesting wordplay, she does flesh out characters well. I only was wondering how it would play out and felt the story drift towards the end. Rather like drifting out to sea, on a rogue breeze…
I do wonder if people who are not familiar with Malaysia, or it’s politics and it’s people can relate to this story… it may leave them baffled or bored.
February 13, 2023
This story is centered on the members of a small benign cult professing the equality of races and religions and prophets against the backdrop of a diverse and politically divided Malaysia, following the 1969 riots. Primarily, the story's focus is on the interactions among this group of deeply flawed characters: poor parenting, jealousy, adolescent love and rebellion, and so on. The narration style - done by the son of the "cult" leader - was a bit jarring at first, as it was very much a break-the-fourth-wall first-person narrative, while I much prefer third-person. It is also very stream-of-consciousness and heavily uses repetition and unique metaphors. The style was a bit new to me. By the middle, though, I was hooked, as the non-linear narration between the golden days of the Muhibbah Centre and the narrator in his middle-aged adulthood teases and slowly inches towards the Centre's climactic falling apart. The ending is spectacular and brings together the parenthood and love themes and cleanly resolves the plot across timelines.
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November 6, 2022Samarasan has written a story of a man wanting to create an idealist society where all are welcome and accepted, but in doing so removes himself from the society he is trying to help. In that regard Cyril shows his naivety in navigating complex religious and cultural identities.
The trickle down effect, as recorded by his son, only serves to highlight this much more as he is unaware of what festers among his tiny community of followers. And falls without a fight to regret and remorse.
Through his son Yusuf, the centre becomes a battlefield of adolescent rebellion, perverse thoughts, self-interest and strife. The breakdown and resentment between brothers comes across as young Yusuf tries to make a bond with his father, mother, and brother. Not being able to truly find a place with them and by them, he carries this yearning to be seen and accepted for the rest of his life.
As much as this tells of the separation between ethnicities via religion and race, it also tells of how in searching for the ultimate state of coexistence, we may end up hurting and isolating the very people we had sought out to help.
Samarasan's unapologetic use of the dialect and syntax of her country was so enjoyable and had me laughing for many parts of this book.
The trickle down effect, as recorded by his son, only serves to highlight this much more as he is unaware of what festers among his tiny community of followers. And falls without a fight to regret and remorse.
Through his son Yusuf, the centre becomes a battlefield of adolescent rebellion, perverse thoughts, self-interest and strife. The breakdown and resentment between brothers comes across as young Yusuf tries to make a bond with his father, mother, and brother. Not being able to truly find a place with them and by them, he carries this yearning to be seen and accepted for the rest of his life.
As much as this tells of the separation between ethnicities via religion and race, it also tells of how in searching for the ultimate state of coexistence, we may end up hurting and isolating the very people we had sought out to help.
Samarasan's unapologetic use of the dialect and syntax of her country was so enjoyable and had me laughing for many parts of this book.
Want to read
July 13, 2022I received a NetGalley DRC to read and review, so excited to dive into this!
May 9, 2023
Brilliant writing and story telling. Preeta Samarasan is superbly talented. Loved her first book “Evening is the Whole Day” and now she’s written another excellent novel.
November 18, 2022
This book is about a son narrating his story with the backdrop of newly formed Malaysia after independence and the current Malaysia. Hence, the narration alternates between the past and the present.
Some of the things I liked include was the language used. It’s sort of Manglish (Malay mixed with English language). I could associate while reading the book. However, some readers who are not familiar with Malay language may find it a little difficult but there is a glossary page behind provided. That might help things out.
Apart from that, the author seamlessly weaved an eye opening connection between May 13th 1969’s racial riot (that took place in Malaysia) and it’s aftermaths. Also mentions of Ops Lalang which I just heard about when I read the book. That was informative. I wonder why they don’t teach us this while we were in school. 🤦🏽♀️
Besides that, I also enjoyed the style of writing. It’s impeccable and wonderful to devour it. ❤️
On the other hand, some of the things I detest will include the use of racial slurs. I have been at the receiving end of the slur even till today. Some may argue that it is to keep it authentic, but I’m certainly not a fan. 😕
In addition to that, the pacing and jumping of different timelines made it difficult to follow through the story at times. Also the ending included many twists that I felt could’ve been spaced out. I just felt that too many things were going at once. 😅
Talking about the characters; none of them were likeable. 🥲 However, I suppose that’s how life is as well. We are not supposed to like everyone and to be liked by everyone. 🙃
Overall, it was an eye opening, fascinating and a thought provoking read. I would suggest all especially Malaysians to read this book. This book cleverly depicts the domino effects of one’s actions that may raze the generations to come.
My ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Some of my favourite lines:
🍀 ‘You see, the longer different peoples have lived together, the more expertly they can hurt each other.’
🍀 ‘So his children are twice-sorted. Daddy’s money plus the gomen (government) gravy train of special rights. All they have to do is finish school without killing anyone or getting pregnant and they will be A-okay.’
*Thanks to @netgalley and @worldebooks for the ARC.
Some of the things I liked include was the language used. It’s sort of Manglish (Malay mixed with English language). I could associate while reading the book. However, some readers who are not familiar with Malay language may find it a little difficult but there is a glossary page behind provided. That might help things out.
Apart from that, the author seamlessly weaved an eye opening connection between May 13th 1969’s racial riot (that took place in Malaysia) and it’s aftermaths. Also mentions of Ops Lalang which I just heard about when I read the book. That was informative. I wonder why they don’t teach us this while we were in school. 🤦🏽♀️
Besides that, I also enjoyed the style of writing. It’s impeccable and wonderful to devour it. ❤️
On the other hand, some of the things I detest will include the use of racial slurs. I have been at the receiving end of the slur even till today. Some may argue that it is to keep it authentic, but I’m certainly not a fan. 😕
In addition to that, the pacing and jumping of different timelines made it difficult to follow through the story at times. Also the ending included many twists that I felt could’ve been spaced out. I just felt that too many things were going at once. 😅
Talking about the characters; none of them were likeable. 🥲 However, I suppose that’s how life is as well. We are not supposed to like everyone and to be liked by everyone. 🙃
Overall, it was an eye opening, fascinating and a thought provoking read. I would suggest all especially Malaysians to read this book. This book cleverly depicts the domino effects of one’s actions that may raze the generations to come.
My ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Some of my favourite lines:
🍀 ‘You see, the longer different peoples have lived together, the more expertly they can hurt each other.’
🍀 ‘So his children are twice-sorted. Daddy’s money plus the gomen (government) gravy train of special rights. All they have to do is finish school without killing anyone or getting pregnant and they will be A-okay.’
*Thanks to @netgalley and @worldebooks for the ARC.
July 20, 2022
Tale of the dreamer’s son is a poetic and yet humorous treatment of Malaysia. The protagonist is the son of a revolutionary who followed god’s word in the revolution of Malaysia. Tale of a dreamer son was written by best-selling author Preeta Samarasan
Cyril Dragon lives in a former Scottish tea planter’s mansion in the highlands of Peninsular Malaysia. He claims that all religions are one and race is unheard of. And then Salmah, a Malay Muslim woman arrives and everything changes. Cyril Dragon, tries to ignore news of the changing political climate and increasing religious intolerance. He is still trying to forget a fateful and terrifying day in 1969. Tale of the Dreamer’s Son guides us from that fateful incident in Malaysian history to the present day.
I find the story on the whole very confusing. I wonder if we can determine the reason Cyril went to the Scottish Manor in the first place? Then the Malaysian woman enters. Then it jumps to present day and back a number of places. I was not able to follow the book as a whole and felt disappointed by the abruptly ending stories so it would be difficult for me to recommend it to anyone.
This author is well respected and has received many accolades so I am sure this book will be well received. I expect it is more about me than about the book.
There may be some parts of the story that were of interest of people that like the Malaysian political history. I give this story I give it a 2 on 5. I want to think of the NetGalley and World Editions for providing me with a digital copy of this book. I give this review voluntarily.
Cyril Dragon lives in a former Scottish tea planter’s mansion in the highlands of Peninsular Malaysia. He claims that all religions are one and race is unheard of. And then Salmah, a Malay Muslim woman arrives and everything changes. Cyril Dragon, tries to ignore news of the changing political climate and increasing religious intolerance. He is still trying to forget a fateful and terrifying day in 1969. Tale of the Dreamer’s Son guides us from that fateful incident in Malaysian history to the present day.
I find the story on the whole very confusing. I wonder if we can determine the reason Cyril went to the Scottish Manor in the first place? Then the Malaysian woman enters. Then it jumps to present day and back a number of places. I was not able to follow the book as a whole and felt disappointed by the abruptly ending stories so it would be difficult for me to recommend it to anyone.
This author is well respected and has received many accolades so I am sure this book will be well received. I expect it is more about me than about the book.
There may be some parts of the story that were of interest of people that like the Malaysian political history. I give this story I give it a 2 on 5. I want to think of the NetGalley and World Editions for providing me with a digital copy of this book. I give this review voluntarily.
July 28, 2022
I read a copy provided by Netgalley and World Editions.
This is well written but I found the short chunks of chapters made it difficult to keep up with the overall arc of the story line. Some of the short chapters were more engaging than others but the style is good.
The novel us set in Malaysia and I was very interested in the complicated relationships between the people and their religions and culture. The beginning of the book is especially good.
My main problem, hence 3 stars, was that it was difficult to keep track as the novel flipped from character to character and from one time frame to another.
I like reading about the characters as children, which rang true. But Arundhati Roy does it better in The God of Small Things. Mind you, that is a 5 star novel.
It is worth reading.
This is well written but I found the short chunks of chapters made it difficult to keep up with the overall arc of the story line. Some of the short chapters were more engaging than others but the style is good.
The novel us set in Malaysia and I was very interested in the complicated relationships between the people and their religions and culture. The beginning of the book is especially good.
My main problem, hence 3 stars, was that it was difficult to keep track as the novel flipped from character to character and from one time frame to another.
I like reading about the characters as children, which rang true. But Arundhati Roy does it better in The God of Small Things. Mind you, that is a 5 star novel.
It is worth reading.
January 5, 2023
This is a book I consumed in one sitting. I could not put it down because I needed to know how the characters were going to react. And that to me was the power of Preeta's new book - her characters. They each could have a book of their own. Their interactions, conversations left me hungering for more. Preeta managed to touch a highly contentious matter in Malaysia and lay it out simply - showcasing human behaviour both at its best and worst.
Regardless of where in the world one has grown up, we all know Mrs Arasus and Salomas and Neela's. Tale as old as time but in Preeta's work captured with ingenuity of each one's individuality.
Regardless of where in the world one has grown up, we all know Mrs Arasus and Salomas and Neela's. Tale as old as time but in Preeta's work captured with ingenuity of each one's individuality.
September 28, 2022
"...he has dribbled piss down his legs; he is looking down at the puddle like a retarded baby his mouth and eyes and all making big pitiful Os that you just want to pour sand inside."
A RETARDED BABY
No Ms Samarasan. We do not use that word anymore.
A RETARDED BABY
No Ms Samarasan. We do not use that word anymore.
August 28, 2023
I was excited when I heard that Preeta came out with another book. I was first introduced to her writing through her short story which was featured in a compilation of feminist tales of southeast Asia. Cheeky and unabashedly Malaysian, I was captivated by her writing and didn’t doubt that I would read more of her books.
I then read Evening is the Whole Day, and while I was still amused by the wit in the storywriting, some of the characters left such a bitter taste that I was not sure her world was something I wanted to immerse myself into. I loved that she cleverly portrayed a very convincing tale depicting a Malaysian family, how she unapologetically laid out both the good and bad in equal measure.
When I see this new title in bookstores, I was both pleasantly surprised and cautious. I was intrigued but judging purely from the synopsis alone, it had the same sound and feel like her debut novel, and I was not sure if I wanted to delve into that world again. Some people read to learn and expand their horizons, and that includes me too, but lately my goal has been to look for worlds to dive into, without the pain and unpleasantness of the current one I’m living in. Basically, I’m looking for made-up paradises, and I doubt that the Tale of the Dreamer’s Son would fulfil my needs.
However, as I’ve also made it part of my mission to actively support Malaysian authors, I chose to get the book and read it, alongside @BooksNBobs ‘s August reading challenge to read a book set in historical or modern Malaysia.
Tale of the Dreamer’s Son is told from the point of view of the son of the founder of Muhibbah Centre for World Peace, Cyril Dragon. He refused to believe in any one religion alone but that faith consisted of all known religions – Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and everything else combined. While he was well-meaning in his goals to unite everyone especially Malaysians, his intentions did not always yield positive results. His staunch believers and himself were contented to isolate themselves in an abandoned estate on the mountain but what would happen when theirs and the larger world collide?
Through his son’s account, we get a peek of the fascinating layers that make up the social fabric in Malaysia – the interaction and the tension that resulted, especially after the disaster that was May 13.
I like how vocal Preeta is in voicing out her discontent with certain things in Malaysia through her characters, like the hypocrisy and the unfair treatment of certain groups over others. However, it got a bit tiring after a while. Reading the book sometimes felt like being exposed to a dissatisfied group of aunties and uncles who are indignant at having being treated a certain way and they couldn’t help but be bitter about everything, there was no reprieve.
Similar to how I felt when I was reading Evening is a Whole Day, I felt as if I was trapped in a room with undesirable characters who were inclined to do questionable things and then lament about unfavorable things that happened to them, conveniently downplaying or blatantly disregarding anything good. Frankly, I couldn’t wait to finish the book so that I could get it over with. I guess I was not in the right frame of mind to read this book, I had neither the patience nor the energy to stomach so much unpleasantness within a 500-pager. I don’t doubt that there are other people out there who would enjoy this book more than I did but this is not a book I would happily recommend to others, especially those who are not as well versed about Malaysia politically, culturally and socially.
I then read Evening is the Whole Day, and while I was still amused by the wit in the storywriting, some of the characters left such a bitter taste that I was not sure her world was something I wanted to immerse myself into. I loved that she cleverly portrayed a very convincing tale depicting a Malaysian family, how she unapologetically laid out both the good and bad in equal measure.
When I see this new title in bookstores, I was both pleasantly surprised and cautious. I was intrigued but judging purely from the synopsis alone, it had the same sound and feel like her debut novel, and I was not sure if I wanted to delve into that world again. Some people read to learn and expand their horizons, and that includes me too, but lately my goal has been to look for worlds to dive into, without the pain and unpleasantness of the current one I’m living in. Basically, I’m looking for made-up paradises, and I doubt that the Tale of the Dreamer’s Son would fulfil my needs.
However, as I’ve also made it part of my mission to actively support Malaysian authors, I chose to get the book and read it, alongside @BooksNBobs ‘s August reading challenge to read a book set in historical or modern Malaysia.
Tale of the Dreamer’s Son is told from the point of view of the son of the founder of Muhibbah Centre for World Peace, Cyril Dragon. He refused to believe in any one religion alone but that faith consisted of all known religions – Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and everything else combined. While he was well-meaning in his goals to unite everyone especially Malaysians, his intentions did not always yield positive results. His staunch believers and himself were contented to isolate themselves in an abandoned estate on the mountain but what would happen when theirs and the larger world collide?
Through his son’s account, we get a peek of the fascinating layers that make up the social fabric in Malaysia – the interaction and the tension that resulted, especially after the disaster that was May 13.
I like how vocal Preeta is in voicing out her discontent with certain things in Malaysia through her characters, like the hypocrisy and the unfair treatment of certain groups over others. However, it got a bit tiring after a while. Reading the book sometimes felt like being exposed to a dissatisfied group of aunties and uncles who are indignant at having being treated a certain way and they couldn’t help but be bitter about everything, there was no reprieve.
Similar to how I felt when I was reading Evening is a Whole Day, I felt as if I was trapped in a room with undesirable characters who were inclined to do questionable things and then lament about unfavorable things that happened to them, conveniently downplaying or blatantly disregarding anything good. Frankly, I couldn’t wait to finish the book so that I could get it over with. I guess I was not in the right frame of mind to read this book, I had neither the patience nor the energy to stomach so much unpleasantness within a 500-pager. I don’t doubt that there are other people out there who would enjoy this book more than I did but this is not a book I would happily recommend to others, especially those who are not as well versed about Malaysia politically, culturally and socially.
January 14, 2024
I didn't like this much at all, which is too bad, as I loved Evening Is the Whole Day by the same author. It is a heavily Malaysian story, in that much of the tension centers on the religious and ethnic differences that have plagued that nation for 50 years, and a few times I wondered whether a reader unfamiliar with that setting and background would even understand what was going on.
I have that context, but the dragging-on-forever tale of a boy who was always jealous of his older half-brother (in part because everyone adored him, a curly-headed mixed-race white boy, son of an Australian father long gone, which afforded several opportunities for the author to complain about Malaysia's long obsession with whiteness) became tiresome. That he (the narrator, the younger boy) was born into a small religious community, a mild cult, led by his father, was interesting for a while but then faded into the background of the brotherly jealousy.
Meanwhile we also have the adult narrator, the cult long gone, dissolved in some tragedy we don't understand until the end, living a lonely life with his elderly mother and an Indonesian maid, who brings her niece to live in their household. Our mixed-race narrator, known as both Kannu and Yusuf, his eyes sepet from his father, his beliefs still muddled, lost his government teaching job and tutors pupils at home. One student resembles his half-brother, leading Yusuf's mother to become obsessed with him — this subplot seemed particularly nonsensical, although it did allow the author to show how the mother still longs for her first son, who has had no contact with either of them for many years.
All in all it was a jumble, a mess of too many threads with no strong, compelling line to follow, unless you had more sympathy than I did for the poor little boy who was born into a small pan-religious commune and never considered special or important by anyone — not his mother, his father, or his half-brother.
Note: At the end of the book, there's a glossary of Malaysian words (Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil, and maybe a few Chinese), but I doubt it is enough for readers entirely unfamiliar with colloquial Malaysian speech. I liked the characters' dialogue for the most part, but it is laid on thick. I enjoyed the food references, but most American readers won't know what most of those foods are.
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I have that context, but the dragging-on-forever tale of a boy who was always jealous of his older half-brother (in part because everyone adored him, a curly-headed mixed-race white boy, son of an Australian father long gone, which afforded several opportunities for the author to complain about Malaysia's long obsession with whiteness) became tiresome. That he (the narrator, the younger boy) was born into a small religious community, a mild cult, led by his father, was interesting for a while but then faded into the background of the brotherly jealousy.
Meanwhile we also have the adult narrator, the cult long gone, dissolved in some tragedy we don't understand until the end, living a lonely life with his elderly mother and an Indonesian maid, who brings her niece to live in their household. Our mixed-race narrator, known as both Kannu and Yusuf, his eyes sepet from his father, his beliefs still muddled, lost his government teaching job and tutors pupils at home. One student resembles his half-brother, leading Yusuf's mother to become obsessed with him — this subplot seemed particularly nonsensical, although it did allow the author to show how the mother still longs for her first son, who has had no contact with either of them for many years.
All in all it was a jumble, a mess of too many threads with no strong, compelling line to follow, unless you had more sympathy than I did for the poor little boy who was born into a small pan-religious commune and never considered special or important by anyone — not his mother, his father, or his half-brother.
Note: At the end of the book, there's a glossary of Malaysian words (Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil, and maybe a few Chinese), but I doubt it is enough for readers entirely unfamiliar with colloquial Malaysian speech. I liked the characters' dialogue for the most part, but it is laid on thick. I enjoyed the food references, but most American readers won't know what most of those foods are.
.
December 3, 2022
This is a well written book but it took me a while to realise it. Jumps in time and perspective and quite short chapters don’t make this an easy read, and the frequent use of Malaysian phrases whose purpose remain a mystery to me compound this issue. However, my advice is to go with it and the reader will be rewarded with an interesting story and characters full of depth and subtlety.
The story takes its reader via the narrative voice of Yusuf – the Dreamer’s son - to post-colonial Malaysia with all its racial tensions that had arisen out of a strong surge of nationalism promoting Islam as the only acceptable religion. The dream of Cyril Dragon (Yusuf’s dad) is a place where religion, class and the nationality of a person doesn’t determine one’s standing in society. He gathers followers and creates an idealistic community in a deserted tea planter’s mansion in the Malaysian Highlands where he aspires to live by his word. This does not turn out to be easy – not only that he ignores and underestimates the political changes and powers beyond the walls of his neat little set up, he also unwittingly creates new rules that somehow perpetuate the privilege of the powerful and harms the very people he seeks to protect.
This is however not necessarily a book about Malaysia, for me its core lies in a thorough investigation of the relationships formed between parents and their offspring. As Preeta Samarasan points out herself: ‘This (the book) was born out of a lifetime of thinking about children who are unwilling or unaware participants in their parents’ spiritual quests’. – I think this is true for all of us, we are all somehow entwined in our parents’ dreams and ambitions, whether they are of a spiritual nature or not. The desire to live up to one’s parents’ expectations and the consequences of breaking the cycle is being explored here, and this exploration leaves the reader with the fundamental question where to find the truth of one’s own life.
It took Yusuf almost a lifetime to understand that ‘you can’t sit there waiting for someone to hand you the truth because anybody who claims they can do this is a world-class Grade-A Bullshitter’. The journey he undertakes to get there is interesting and thought-provoking - I am glad I was allowed to accompany him.
I am grateful to NetGalley and World Editions Ltd. for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story takes its reader via the narrative voice of Yusuf – the Dreamer’s son - to post-colonial Malaysia with all its racial tensions that had arisen out of a strong surge of nationalism promoting Islam as the only acceptable religion. The dream of Cyril Dragon (Yusuf’s dad) is a place where religion, class and the nationality of a person doesn’t determine one’s standing in society. He gathers followers and creates an idealistic community in a deserted tea planter’s mansion in the Malaysian Highlands where he aspires to live by his word. This does not turn out to be easy – not only that he ignores and underestimates the political changes and powers beyond the walls of his neat little set up, he also unwittingly creates new rules that somehow perpetuate the privilege of the powerful and harms the very people he seeks to protect.
This is however not necessarily a book about Malaysia, for me its core lies in a thorough investigation of the relationships formed between parents and their offspring. As Preeta Samarasan points out herself: ‘This (the book) was born out of a lifetime of thinking about children who are unwilling or unaware participants in their parents’ spiritual quests’. – I think this is true for all of us, we are all somehow entwined in our parents’ dreams and ambitions, whether they are of a spiritual nature or not. The desire to live up to one’s parents’ expectations and the consequences of breaking the cycle is being explored here, and this exploration leaves the reader with the fundamental question where to find the truth of one’s own life.
It took Yusuf almost a lifetime to understand that ‘you can’t sit there waiting for someone to hand you the truth because anybody who claims they can do this is a world-class Grade-A Bullshitter’. The journey he undertakes to get there is interesting and thought-provoking - I am glad I was allowed to accompany him.
I am grateful to NetGalley and World Editions Ltd. for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2023
I was very interested in reading this when I discovered it at the library partly because of my time in Malaysia in the early 1980s and having stayed at the former colonial hill stations in the Cameron Highlands several times and also because I greatly enjoyed the author’s earlier novel Evening Is the Whole Day, also set in Malaysia. Here the dreamer of the title is Cyril Tertullian Dragon, preacher of the unity of all religions and founder in the Cameron Highlands of the Muhibbah Centre for World Peace, a nonsectarian religious cult/retreat as a response to the anti-Chinese riots among ethnic Malay Muslims in 1969. The son of the title is Clarence Kannan Cheng-Ho Muhammad Yusuf Dragon, his many names drawn accordingly from the many ethnic and religious traditions practiced in Malaysia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity as well as the Islam of the native Malays. The center’s families come from these diverse traditions but have left them behind to open themselves to the unity Cyril preaches (which preaching, however, puts him and the center at odds with the government’s support and encouragement of growing Malay nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism as well as crackdowns on dissent and religious nonconformity). Son Clarence narrates his and the center’s tale from two perspectives, one as the center’s youngest child (his mother a Malay apostate Muslim with a checkered background) in the 1970s and ‘80s observing the behaviors, and misbehaviors, of the center’s older children and adults and the other as an older survivor of the center decades later in the 2020s, decades that saw increasing tensions over religious fundamentalism not only in Malaysia but elsewhere. These time shifts didn’t work so well for me, in part because I had some trouble keeping the various child and adult characters and relationships straight and how they extended or didn’t over time (some interruptions in my typical reading schedule probably contributed to this). The final and climactic Part 4 went better, with many surprises revealed.
March 31, 2023
Mild spoilers
I loved this book's stunning cover; it is what drew me to the book in the first place!
This was fascinating to learn about Malaysia's past despite the fact that I normally wouldn't choose a novel that has a significant religious focus. I liked all of the history and cultural details. This book had a slow start due to the info dumping at the beginning, but once I got past that, it was loads better. I think it was necessary, though. Possibly. I appreciated the short chapters when they happened. Having the 1st and 3rd person narration shift from various points of view from a diverse set of characters helped to keep me engaged, though I did take me a long while to complete it. Character study? Was it me or was there slow pacing? I'm not sure. Or could it be that there was too much of a slower focus on aspects that I didn't care about? A twist at the end that I didn't see coming occurs. Unreliable narration? Abrupt ending? I can't wait to read other people's reviews.
I loved this book's stunning cover; it is what drew me to the book in the first place!
This was fascinating to learn about Malaysia's past despite the fact that I normally wouldn't choose a novel that has a significant religious focus. I liked all of the history and cultural details. This book had a slow start due to the info dumping at the beginning, but once I got past that, it was loads better. I think it was necessary, though. Possibly. I appreciated the short chapters when they happened. Having the 1st and 3rd person narration shift from various points of view from a diverse set of characters helped to keep me engaged, though I did take me a long while to complete it. Character study? Was it me or was there slow pacing? I'm not sure. Or could it be that there was too much of a slower focus on aspects that I didn't care about? A twist at the end that I didn't see coming occurs. Unreliable narration? Abrupt ending? I can't wait to read other people's reviews.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2025
Possible minor spoilers at the end of this review about the end of the book.
The writing of this story was raw and compelling. Reza, to me, was one of the most interesting characters in this story, but while he is not the main character or narrator, we learn much about him through the narrator, his younger brother. It was fascinating to me that we learned about Reza and the other characters through Kannah's dictation of events but also through his inner thoughts and feelings, particularly as they were in chaos. While this story took place in Malaysia and reflected real-life political and religious events and people, I think it did a great job of doing so in a way that reflects the human experience as a whole.
At the end, I felt there was a parallel in Kannah's idealistic thoughts and those of his father, which I felt was the perfect full-circle moment for the end of the book.
The writing of this story was raw and compelling. Reza, to me, was one of the most interesting characters in this story, but while he is not the main character or narrator, we learn much about him through the narrator, his younger brother. It was fascinating to me that we learned about Reza and the other characters through Kannah's dictation of events but also through his inner thoughts and feelings, particularly as they were in chaos. While this story took place in Malaysia and reflected real-life political and religious events and people, I think it did a great job of doing so in a way that reflects the human experience as a whole.
At the end, I felt there was a parallel in Kannah's idealistic thoughts and those of his father, which I felt was the perfect full-circle moment for the end of the book.
November 8, 2022
Wow. Amazing piece of work. Her masterpiece. Gave it 5 stars. Written in the style an educated mixed race Malaysia would speak, with all the quirky grammatical twists, like ‘is it’, ’lah’. Not exactly Manglish, but very readable, even for a Western reader. I predict book prizes are in order next year.
April 24, 2023
This is a story that is quintessentially Malaysian, but has echoes for the growth of ethno-religious fundamentalism around the globe. The writing is gorgeous, and although the book feels weighed down by a political agenda rather than storytelling in places, this is an important book that captures many of the issues important to Malaysians today. Strongly recommended.
June 22, 2023
Beautifully written. Acerbic take on how post-colonial Malaysia's fixation and dream of national identity restrict freedom and growth for individuals both socially and spiritually. Citizenhood is defined by the nation state narrowly, whilst real life people are left striving between legitimate and illegitimate identities.
April 4, 2024
On the surface the story focuses on familial relationships mixed up with the complexities of race and religion. Such issues should resonate with many Malaysians who are familiar with the intricacies and challenges facing our society today. The writer is bold enough to voice out certain issues and raises some concerns through the different characters without ruffling feathers.
April 10, 2024
While I admire Samarasan's continued invention of literary Malaysian English, I couldn't help but find her second novel's overwritten and a step back from her first. Exploring the lost possibilities of Malaysian multiculturalism, Tale of the Dreamer's Son loses steam after the arrests, and inexplicably trundles on towards a close-to-histrionic ending.
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