I really debated what rating to give this collection of stories and have settled on giving it a more generous 4 stars over the 3.5/3.75 I was originally going for. This is for a number of reasons:

1. The nature of the writing is quiet and thoughtful- it talks to others, to you, to a collective and this has a very lulling and delicate effect, particularly given the depth of the themes explored.

2. Is the homage paid to a culture that has been learned, adopted and loved. From the slips to Mandarin throughout to the attention to socio-politics, economics and migration within Singapore and the impact this has externally.

3. The use of personal familiarity- there were parts where I felt I was reading almost an autobiography, the characters reflected Holden's own life and person occupationally, through relationships, through thoughts, etc. I felt his thoughts throughout in each of the stories and I liked this aspect a lot.

I've seen a lot of the reviews giving mediocre ratings for this collection, and while, in some sense, I can understand some of their points, I think that sometimes there is a need to look underneath just 'general entertainment' and 'repetitive situations', and the like, to what is actually being said throughout this collection?, how has the author's experiences shaped them?, what can be taken from all of this?
In doing this, the richness of the collection as a whole, and each individual story deepens considerably. This is why I opted for the higher rating.

well-done set of short stories with a unique type of vibe to them. i think in general they're a fine read. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.