Travel the world without leaving your chair. Malaysia is one of the most ethnically diverse nations in Southeast Asia—home to vibrant Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities—its literature reflects a fascinating range of identities, tensions, and stories. Enjoy 5 Stunning Malaysian Books to Read.
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5 Stunning Malaysian Books to Read
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
Tan Twan Eng’s debut novel set in Penang at the onset of WW2 is a powerful study of courage, morals and loyalties. Sixteen-year-old Philip is of mixed British and Chinese heritage, and feels alienated from both communities. He forms an unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat who trains him in Aikido. But when the Japanese invade, Philip discovers Endo is a spy. Forced into collaborating with the Japanese to safeguard his family he becomes the ultimate outsider, trusted by none and hated by many. A tormented Philip decides to risk everything to make amends.
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Seventeen-year-old Li Lan lives in 1890s Malaya with her quietly-ruined father, who returns one evening with a proposition – the fabulously wealthy Lim family want Li Lan to marry their son. The only problem is, he’s dead. After a fateful visit to the Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also her desire for the Lims’ handsome new heir. At night she is drawn into the Chinese afterlife – a world of ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, monstrous bureaucracy and vengeful spirits. Enlisting the help of mysterious Er Lang (a dragon turned clerk) Li Lan must uncover the secrets of the ghost world – before she becomes trapped there forever.
21 Immortals by Rozlan Mohd Noor
Inspector Mislan Latif’s final case after a long night’s shift could be his last. Called to a wealthy neighborhood of Kuala Lumpur, he finds a crime scene unlike any he has encountered before: pristine, the victims a family seated at dinner, Mona Lisa smiles fixed to their faces, frozen mid-gesture around the traditional Chinese New Year dish of yee sang, signifying prosperity, longevity, many good things—though it’s not that time of year. It makes an eerie, chilling tableau of death, but signifying what? The celebrity of the father, fashion magnate Robert Tham, has already drawn a media throng, and soon the upper echelons of the police have taken an interest, bringing pressure to solve the crime quickly.
Inspector Mislan’s investigation takes him to every level of this modern, multi-ethnic, American-pop-culture-influenced society, to where moneyed power and influence demand their say. Maverick, hard-boiled yet tender, a single father raising a young child, Mislan must rely on his team—and the politically savvy woman leading Major Crimes who is his boss—to support, protect him from the corruption above, and help find a way to ensure the course of justice.
The South by Tash Aw
When his grandfather dies, a boy named Jay travels south with his family to the property he left them, a once flourishing farm that has fallen into disrepair. The trees are diseased, the fields parched from months of drought.
Still, Jay’s father, Jack, sends him out to work the land, or whatever land is left. Over the course of these hot, dense days, Jay finds himself drawn to Chuan, the local son of the farm’s manager, different from him in every way except for one.
Out in the fields, and on the streets into town, the charge between the boys intensifies. Inside the house, the other family members confront their own regrets, and begin to drift apart. Like the land around them, they are powerless to resist the global forces that threaten to render their lives obsolete.
Bone Weight and Other Stories by Shih-Li Kow
This cross-genre collection of twenty-five short stories and flash fiction pieces explores relationships and periods of transition.
A mother questions the limits of her responsibility to her husband and son. A man operates a leaf blower during Chinese New Year, leading to tragic consequences. In speculative stories, a demolition worker dreams of clean air while Kuala Lumpur decays, and a cooking robot attempts to perfect its fried rice for a grieving family.
These characters navigate displacement and uncertainties in pursuit of better lives.
If you enjoyed 5 Stunning Malaysian Books to Read, check out Must Read Books from SE Asia