The Accidental Malay by Karina Robles Bahrin
Winner of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize ‘Slick, sharp . . . a joy to read’ - Tash Aw, author of Five Star Billionaire Jasmine Leong is the heiress apparent to Phoenix, her family’s billion-ringgit company known especially for its pork snacks. When her grandmother, the great Madame Leong, unexpectedly passes away, Jasmine discovers she is actually a Malay Muslim and this newfound identity threatens to upend her life and ambitions. Finding herself at the centre of a political controversy, and caught between two men who love her, Karina Robles Bahrin's The Accidental Malay examines the human cost of a country’s racial policies and paints a portrait of a woman unwilling to accept the fate history has designated for her. 'A novel both generous and scathing; both honest and nuanced; both grounded in human emotion and engaged with history and politics' - Preeta Samarasan, author of Evening Is the Whole Day
A sharply observed, elegantly crafted culture-clash state-of-the-nation drama that is not only witty but heartfelt-- Epigram Book Fiction Prize Judges
Desire, religion and politics collide in this delicious debut . . . Slick, sharp and full of the frustrations and joys of modern urban Malaysia -- Tash Aw, author of We, The Survivors
A deeply nuanced study in the sometimes suffocating intertwining of race and religion for Malay-Muslims. -- Suffian Hakim, author of Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher
A novel both generous and scathing . . . a fast-paced, character-driven, furious and yet somehow joyful exploration of Malay ethnoreligious supremacy -- Preeta Samarasan, author of Evening is the Whole Day
Braving the intersections and contradictions of race, class and gender, one woman’s private campaign for self- definition becomes a search for love amidst corporate manoeuvrings, familial pressures and the challenging complexities of her country’s cultural politics. -- Cyril Wong, author of This Side of Heaven
Stylish, trenchant, yet brimming with heart, The Accidental Malay captures the complexities of contemporary Malaysia with wit and grace -- Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit
Desire, religion and politics collide in this delicious debut . . . Slick, sharp and full of the frustrations and joys of modern urban Malaysia -- Tash Aw, author of We, The Survivors
A deeply nuanced study in the sometimes suffocating intertwining of race and religion for Malay-Muslims. -- Suffian Hakim, author of Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher
A novel both generous and scathing . . . a fast-paced, character-driven, furious and yet somehow joyful exploration of Malay ethnoreligious supremacy -- Preeta Samarasan, author of Evening is the Whole Day
Braving the intersections and contradictions of race, class and gender, one woman’s private campaign for self- definition becomes a search for love amidst corporate manoeuvrings, familial pressures and the challenging complexities of her country’s cultural politics. -- Cyril Wong, author of This Side of Heaven
Stylish, trenchant, yet brimming with heart, The Accidental Malay captures the complexities of contemporary Malaysia with wit and grace -- Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit
Karina Robles Bahrin got her first break as a writer when she guest-edited a weekly teen column in The New Straits Times a very long time ago. Her short fiction has been published in Urban Odysseys: KL Stories, KL Noir: Blue, A Subtle Degree of Restraint & Other Stories and Malaysian Tales: Retold & Remixed. She currently lives and works on the island of Langkawi where she runs a hotel, restaurant, farm and community initiative promoting storytelling among the island’s youth and children. The Accidental Malay is her first novel.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781035032372 |
| Title | The Accidental Malay |
| Author | Karina Robles Bahrin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Picador Uk |
| Year published | 2025-05-06 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |