Shih Li Kow
The Sum of Our Follies

Genre: Novel

Novel | Literary fiction    Forthcoming in Italy (Autumn 2014)

Origin: Malaysia, Silverfish, Forthcoming Spring 2014  Original language: English, 240 pages     

¾ Author's previous books were shortlisted for prestigious international  literary prizes

The story of a fictional small town in Malaysia that captures the essence of the whole country

Lubok Sayong, on the peninsula of Perak, Malaysia, is located in a valley between mountain  and river, and it is prone to flooding, more or less violent, more or less tragic depending on the  year. There interweave the  stories of Auyong,  a former director of  a  supermarket who has moved from Kuala Lumpur to run a factory of canned lychees, and Mami Beevi, an elderly  woman who turns her large family house into a receiving facility for tourists. Next to them, the  other characters of the town: the artisan potter, the deputy commissioner of police, teachers at  the local school. But above all, at some point in their lives comes Mary Anne. She has survived  the accident that claimed the life of Mami Beevi's half-sister and her husband who were taking  the girl home after having adopted her at an orphanage in Kuala Lumpur.   From that moment, the voices of Auyong and Mary Anne take turns telling their stories and  those of Lubok Sayong, which combines news, legends and magic.    Stylish, subtle and funny, Kow is an amazing storyteller. The Sum of Our Follies is the story of  characters living in a fictional backwater Asian town struggling with modernity, with no claim  to fame apart from its annual floods, a dubious legend and general mediocrity; one that could  be compared to the little towns and characters of Amado and Narayan, with just a touch of  Calvino.

 

"It lacks neither style nor substance. What a wonderful  storyteller!" Frédéric Grellier, Translator, France

 

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The Author

 

Shih-Li Kow, in 1968, is a Malaysian writing sensation of the current generation. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies since her first publication in 2007. Her first book, Ripples and Other Stories, was immediately shortlisted for the 2009 prestigious Frank O'Connor International Short-story Award in Ireland, beating Ali Smith and Kazuo Ishiguro to the list, and was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in the First Book category. She currently works in real estate and lives in Kuala Lumpur with her extended family, cat and beehive. The Sum of our Follies is her first novel and her first book in 5 years.

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Foreign Rights: Anna Spadolini Agency o/b of Metropoli d'Asia  Rights for France, Germany, Japan and Turkey reserved  Foreign rights for all other territories and languages available  For further information please contact: annaspadolini@gmail.com