Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ALC.

The premise of this sounded really interesting, so I was excited to get a chance to listen to The South by Tash Aw. However, I stopped listening at around 56%. It was so slow and I genuinely could not get into the story. I usually Love narrator accents, definitely if they make the story more immersive, but this accent somehow required so much attention to even understand what was being said that it took away any reading pleasure I could have had. The concentration needed just to distinguish the words was not worth it. I still had not been pulled into the story when I reached 50%, so decided to stop listening soon after. Really bummed out because I believe the story is one that should be told and read.

This is my first Tasha Aw novel. Reading this right on the heels on Ocean's Vuoung's latest, it's hard not to draw some comparisons, as separated as they are by entire continents. Both have a young, queer boy as a narrator, both are navigating the hopelessness of their family's legacy, and both of whose lives are defined by the specific racism of where they live. Yet this one feels far away from feeling emotionally accessible or familiar than Ocean's work. And not only because it's set in Malaysia while Vuoung's work is based on Connecticut, which believe me, even as an American sometimes feels alien to me. If anything, the tempo and travails of contemporary Southeast Asian life feels more familiar to me. It could be the writing, which jumps around pretty frantically through the POVs of almost every named character, while only letting one character speak in first person. So it's hard to pin down the actual makeup of everyone's internal life if it's from Jay's perspective only, and Jay himself is not the most reliable or sympathetic protagonist. For some reason I thought this would focus more on Jay and Chuan's developing relationship and its challenges and sweetness. But not only was it borderline toxic, its development was mostly shoved to the edges of the story of a family who is messy and bitter and collectively and individually at make or break points in their journeys. I wasn't really looking for a romance in this per se, so I wasn't too disappointed by the sidelining of Jay and Chuan. Other characters emerged as more interesting and having more interesting dynamics that I wished had more of a center narrative stage, such as Jay's sisters and mom. Sui and Fong's relationship also suffered the same fate as Jay and Chuan's, even more in that it wasn't necessarily romantic but tied to their relationship to the land that they loved and wanted to nurture, and as Others in the family. Lina was such a force of nature and I wish this was entirely from her POV. The other sister barely got any personality attributed to her except to make a point about Malay/Chinese relationships and prejudices. All of that said, the writing felt powerful and profound frequently but also as disjointed as the story of a particularly dysfunctional family, in the throes of a decaying legacy. Perhaps my unfamiliarity with contemporary Malaysian culture also contributed to the distance I felt from the characters, but perhaps it's just not a narrative structure that works for me. That said, I'd be curious to check out other works by a clearly globally celebrated author. I received both ebook and audiobook versions of this from Netgalley. The audiobook narrator was decent but had a distinct accent that didn't change from character to character and it didn't help with the frequent POV shifts.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I always love finding a new Canadian author but this one just didn't grab me. Maybe it was the narrator and I would have gotten into it more as a physical read but for whatever reason I just didn't get into it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I listened to this book, and the narrator is perfect. He sounds exactly as I think Jay would. A good narrator is very important, but even more so since this book feels like a friend, explaining about the summer their family went to the south. And of course, when a story like that is being told there are diversions - it's not linier, since it also needs to explain what happened before. This book also has a really strong sense of place. It's a beautifully told story, about families and lives. In some ways nothing happens, and in other ways everything does and I don't want to try to over explain it because it's a story I was in while listening, and the more I think about it the more complex this initially simple seeming story becomes.

I was given the audiobook of this by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite the cultural aspect and intriguing locale, this first entry in a planned tetralogy did not really catch fire for me. There may have been some metafictional aspects which explains the hesitancy, and there really was some lovely prose. But on the whole, I was disappointed in the overall experience.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC copy of this title.

The South tells the complicated story of Jay and Chuan, two adolescents on the brink of adulthood who form an unlikely bond while working on a dilapidated farm. Jay’s family owns some sub-par farmland that Chuan and his father have been managing for years. When trouble at home brings Jay’s family to stay on the farm, the two are thrust together in the stifling heat of a drought riddled summer.

This was an extremely compelling read. It felt like a Tennessee Williams play set in the rural Malaysia. The book was populated with fascinating and life like characters defined by their tumultuous inner lives and the thousand small ways they harm those closest to them. Throughout the story you get more context and detail about these fascinating characters. Over time you get to explore their nuances and rough edges. Ultimately it was a story about family, belonging, and what relationships mean in a world saturated with poverty and desperation. I’ve never read anything quite like it and I found myself wishing for even more by the end of the book. The author deftly wove a compelling story that was tender without being sentimental, and tinged with drama without being sensational.

The South is a powerful novel that’s worthy of your attention.

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC of The South.

This is a quiet, atmospheric coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of 1990s Malaysia. The writing is beautiful and filled with great imagery, and the exploration of identity, family tension, and longing felt intentional. A thoughtful and introspective read for those who enjoy literary fiction with a soft, reflective tone.

3.75*

The first in a planned quartet, and this volume is set around the Asian financial crisis.

It is a coming-of-age story with a beautifully created sense of place, the countryside rich with potentially bountiful produce and a heavy sense of cloying, damp heat: the villages set amongst the dense foliage, the people toiling the land and grappling with all kinds of weather patterns that negatively impact the harvests.

Jay, 16, heads south with his family to stay at the now run-down family farm, where natural and economic disasters have taken their toll. Fong is the manager and it is his son, young Chuan, who catches Jay’s eye. Their friendship tentatively blossoms, with an element of sexual exploration. Meanwhile the various family members ponder their roles, histories and connections, providing a bedrock for this novel of unfolding family dynamics.

The story is created with non-linear vignettes which, as a reader, need focus to keep them straight, and I found it a little hard to really connect with the characters as they moved across the pages. The novel has quite a dense storyline, with a beautiful writing style, contained within 288 or so pages.

“Since when has longevity been the base of truly knowing someone?”

“Time is something to be endured; there is too much of it ahead of me. Why doesn’t time accelerate and propel you into a new age, when you can emerge a different person – stronger, calmer, more beautiful?”

The South felt like such a story about change, about wanting more and needing to be in the place you happen to be. It’s a coming of age story when Jay, age 16, spends his summer on a family farm but throughout you get the perspectives of his parents, an older version of Jay narrator and it someone still reads really fluidly. There were several points where I wasn’t sure that I was connecting with the story, likely just due to the writing style, but it was definitely worth powering through.

Thanks to Netgalley for an e-arc, this book is already published at the time of this review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for early copy for review*

This touching queer coming-of-age story had a lot of big themes in it. With it being multi-perspective and so short I am not sure it accomplished everything it set out to do. After finishing I just wanted more from some of the perspectives. I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator was not my favorite and it may have hindered my enjoyment some.

Gathered together one family shuttles off survey the conditions of a piece of land their matriarch has inherited. Caught in a drought and hard times there is little more than space and time. Here each comes to terms with where they are in life, how they got there, and where they're going.

The mother of nearly grown children wonders how such a rebellious decision now feels like it suffocated her spark. A wayward son, comfortable with the truth of his own desires, isn't so bold when it comes to engaging with those feelings. In some ways the smallest and the tether to his struggles to find a foothold on his future. The farm's manager is an unending optimist is slowly being crushed by the economic and ecological crisis at hand.

Though this novel hops between perspectives and time periods it's primarily through those voices we're told about the other conflicts. The father has a shriveling career. The eldest daughter defies her parents expectations and in doing so becomes a role model of choice for her siblings. The farmer's son, initially describes as dismissive at best, is torn between reality and the duty he feels as a son. His father's visions and his own dreams are completely unbalanced. Each experience, each adventure out into the community around them, attaches to it a glimpse of Malaysia in transition as it breaks away from its agricultural sectors.

I had a complicated response to this book. I struggled to really get into this until I approached each perspective as a short story-- a snapshot. There was a disconnect between the perspectives and time periods. Concise writing could be poignant but also created a distance. As a whole, while I found each character's situation interesting on a surface level, I failed to connect with them in a deeper way. Generally this method of storytelling is sufficient for the story. Just not as satisfying. I longed for a little more of an emotional hook. The marketed romantic attraction, a potential injection of that something extra, just felt like it was existing and ebbing. I never felt a 'click' moment on one half of that equation. Even if that relationship was only supposed to be transformative for one, it was a missed opportunity from my perspective.

I don't feel like this is a universal deterrent. The stylistic approach seemed intentional. It's not meant to be dramatic in an explosive sense. The stagnant weather, the heat and parching, echoes the ruts each character is in. There are small beauties and the simplistic enjoyments that comes with living in a way separated from your own normal. You sometimes need that space from 'real' life to give yourself the necessary perspective you need to make changes. The trailing of the story supports that this is only supposed to be about a beat in their lives.

There were a couple scenes that will stick with me. There's a lovely lake moment. The segment concerning the mother's youth and the connections she had with each of her children was anchoring. Learning about the conditions of Malaysia as well as those who had traditionally traveled there to work was enlightening. I suspect this is another of those novels I might think back on but not with nostalgic passion of a more enticing read.

The South as narrated by Windson Liong is a sensitive and lovely "coming of age" story.

Set in Malaysia, this follows Jay, a 17 year old, and his family as they travel from their home city to the rural farm that his mother has inherited. As the family settles in to life on the farm, Jay is drawn to Chuan, the son of the man who runs the farm.

As they grow closer, their feelings deepen and their relationship morphs into something more than friendship.

This is a tender story of 2 young men as they figure out who they are and what they want from a large and brutal world.

The prose in this is full of beautiful imagery. From the hot, sticky, climate to the descriptions of the countryside surrounding the farm. The language of Jay's internal monologue is even more beautiful as he describes those people he loves.

This is not a "heavy" story, but it is deep and it's very much worth your time.

Aw’s newest, The South is set in southern Malaysia in the 1990s, where Jay (17) encounters his first love and his momma, Sui Ching, faces her past ghosts. Their nuclear family of five temporarily leaves Kuala Lumpur for the Johor Bahru countryside. They stay with Sui’s father-in-law’s extramarital son, Fong, and Fong’s 19-year-old son, Chuan. Jay joins Fong and Chuan on the farm and grows increasingly affectionate towards Chuan, who embodies a reckless youthfulness Jay admires. Chuan introduces Jay to drugs, smoking, and alcohol, and his unruly character allows Jay to explore his sexuality. In Sui’s father-in-law’s death, he passes the farm to her; however, the family also learns that the farm doesn’t produce the desired yield due to external factors, such as drought and an ailing economy. Sui’s husband, Jack, decides Sui ought to offload the farm for good. She grapples with her marriage to an unfaithful husband who stifles her freedom, though this loveless relationship has been her normal for decades, and any remaining embers of fight can’t seem to flame beyond a smoulder.

Aw’s writing hits the faint and light and nostalgic and heavy registers. The former rings throughout the novel in its simple undertaking: a book-smart, 17-year-old boy works on his family’s farm and falls in love (with his unofficial step-brother?). He lingers and desires to be chosen, yet he’s aware that his life is before him. The latter resounds when Aw emphasizes the tensions between farmers and the formally educated, women and men, children and parents, citizens and governments. For a strongly character-driven story, I couldn’t sympathize with Jay or Sui as much as I wanted to; Aw writes the narrative from both perspectives, and Sui’s sections include flashbacks and present-day tellings. Still, I’m interested to see Aw’s next instalments in his “series” (I’m not sure if that’s the right word) of four. I rate The South 2.5 stars.

My thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an ARC. I also shared this review on GoodReads on May 20, 2025 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7582712800).