My Mother Pattu

by Saras Manickam 

The stories in this collection of 14 short stories are brutally honest, humane, and haunting in their honesty and at times also humorous. 

There are several stories that stand out. The story of Lalitha, abused by her own mother tells us bullies carry their own emotional trauma that scar everyone’s lives. The title of the book is also the title of this story. A woman who is deeply in love with her husband realises to her anguish that the love of a good man is not enough for a fulfilling life. In another story, a boy tries hard to hold his family together as his parents' marriage is on the verge of disintegration. An Indonesian maid who is abused realises that the money she sends home has become more important than her own welfare or safety to her family.

A racial slur triggers reflections on friendship, identity loss of belonging and trust in a multi racial community. Three young people idealistically reject racial prejudice and stereotypes only to find that their future paths are largely determined by ethnicity and privilege. Amongst the 14 stories, the one story that touched our group most was a mother who had several brutal conversations with God about her severely disabled son. 

The book narrates the extraordinary in ordinary people when they face the truth about their past and present. Authentic and unsentimental, each story highlights the resilience of the human spirit even as it challenges comfortable conventions about identity, love, family, community and race relations.

The characters in her stories may be flawed but are authentic and they span decades in a Malaysian setting, as Saras explores both intimate, personal struggles as well as broader societal themes.

It was a privilege to have the author present at our meeting and as Saras puts it in her own words “Also, I had to be mindful of honesty so that in writing about racism, for example, I had to share that many elements such as racism, discrimination, and abuse are not one-way streets. The abused can also be perpetrators; victims of racism can be racists themselves. The difference lies in the scale.” She also said in an interview, “Discrimination has become endemic as it were. It appears so deeply embedded in our psyche, regardless of race or skin color. We can’t run away from this, living in Malaysia. We can, however, have candid and genuine conversations. Perhaps these stories may create those necessary conversations. That said, I am a storyteller. There is no ‘agenda’ to my stories except to reflect as truthfully as possible, the realities that the characters inhabit, face, challenge and maybe surmount”.

Our group rated the book 5.5/6 out of 10

Review by Nabila Ahmad