Singaporean author on a crusade against Asian education system
Like most mums, Monica Lim wears many hats but it's the writer's rebellious take on schooling that is her crowning glory, writes Clara Chow
Mention to Monica Lim that her debut novel, The Good, the Bad and the PSLE, seems to be perpetually out at Singapore's public libraries, especially in middle-class neighbourhoods, and she replies, without missing a beat: "Maybe the people who've borrowed the book will return it very quickly."
In a country where parents are often obsessed about academic excellence and acing the seemingly all-important Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), the title is bound to appeal. Hong Kong parents stressed out about their children securing sufficiently good grades to get into elite schools will be able to relate.
The book is subtitled Trials of an Almost Kiasu Mother. Kiasu, a phrase in Hokkien dialect meaning "scared to lose", is associated with an overzealous and competitive attitude in some Singaporeans.
It would help if parents realised that this whole education journey is a marathon, not a sprint
Lim has a warning for these readers. "If anyone reads my book to see if they can get tips about aceing the PSLE, they'll be sorely disappointed," she says.
The novel is a light-hearted romp through three years in the life of a mother, Ling, and her two children, both at primary school. While daughter April is a self-starter who does well studying for her PSLE, the younger Noah blunders his way through class, coming up with some hilarious bon mots in the process. In one instance, he answers "what's aftermath?" with "PE".
April and Noah are loosely based on Lim's children, Lesley-Anne, now 16 and in her second-last year of high school, and Andre, in his second year of secondary school. "The majority of Noah's exploits are true, based on my son's. If you read it, some of it cannot be made up," says Lim, 44, who will speak at the Hong Kong International Young Readers Festival this week.
