Once Upon a Time in Malaya Seck Chim Chong

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of Japanese-occupied Malaya, at the end of the British colonial era, this novel follows the escapades of the irrepressible young Ah Kiew, whose predictable world of school and church is turned upside down by the war.

Along the way, accompanied by a motley cast of characters - his father the bookish sinseh, the lecherous pharmacist Loh Chan and others - Ah Kiew dodges the conjugal machinations of Madam Tuck, finds employment in a Japanese army depot with the pacifist Captain Tanaka, and ultimately finds his place in the world.

This absorbing tale is an entertaining account of everyday life during the Japanese Occupation and a piquant comedy of manners in post-colonial Malaya.