“I don’t aspire to be nice. I do what is necessary to get what I want.”
Born on the night of the nation’s independence, Gimme Lao is cheated of the honour of being Singapore’s firstborn son by a vindictive nurse. This forms the first of three things Gimme never knows about himself, the second being the circumstances surrounding his parents’ marriage, and the third being the profound (but often unintentional) impact he has on other people’s lives.
Talented, determined and focused, young Gimme is confident he can sail the seven seas, but he does not anticipate his vessel would have to carry his mother’s ambition, his wife’s guilt and his son’s secret. Tracing social, economic and political issues over the past 50 years, this humorous novel uses Gimme as a hapless centre to expose all of Singapore’s ambitions, dirty linen and secret moments of tender humanity.
© 2016 by Sebastian Sim. Published in paper format in Singapore by Epigram Books, recorded by Storyside 2019.
© 2020 Storyside (Audiobook): 9789178897339
© 2016 Epigram Books (Ebook): 9789814757331
Release date
Audiobook: 30 March 2020
Ebook: 1 October 2016
“I don’t aspire to be nice. I do what is necessary to get what I want.”
Born on the night of the nation’s independence, Gimme Lao is cheated of the honour of being Singapore’s firstborn son by a vindictive nurse. This forms the first of three things Gimme never knows about himself, the second being the circumstances surrounding his parents’ marriage, and the third being the profound (but often unintentional) impact he has on other people’s lives.
Talented, determined and focused, young Gimme is confident he can sail the seven seas, but he does not anticipate his vessel would have to carry his mother’s ambition, his wife’s guilt and his son’s secret. Tracing social, economic and political issues over the past 50 years, this humorous novel uses Gimme as a hapless centre to expose all of Singapore’s ambitions, dirty linen and secret moments of tender humanity.
© 2016 by Sebastian Sim. Published in paper format in Singapore by Epigram Books, recorded by Storyside 2019.
© 2020 Storyside (Audiobook): 9789178897339
© 2016 Epigram Books (Ebook): 9789814757331
Release date
Audiobook: 30 March 2020
Ebook: 1 October 2016
Step into an infinite world of stories
Overall rating based on 18 ratings
Thought-provoking
Page-turner
Funny
Download the app to join the conversation and add reviews.
Showing 4 of 18
Nancy
11 Sept 2022
This is the 2nd book I read by Sebastian Sim.He is thorough in his description about the history as he narrated from 70s to the 21st century.What is fascinating is that he is able to build the characters clearly.However, I wished he could elaborate more on Omala and Gimme's in their later years.This is a must read for those who migrated to Singapore and who wanted to know more about Singapore history.Thumbs up for Sebastian! Hope to see more of your work!
ardent
9 Jun 2022
ife is just one damned thing after another.It's humbling when we first hear the saying that every person we pass in the street carries a whole universe worth of experiences and emotions, beliefs and motivations. Sadly, there are too many of us out there and hermits like me can barely keep up with the lives of my friends as is.Still, there is an odd fascination in living vicariously through the lives of others (as the popularity of slice-of-life shows can attest), and bearing witness to the unpredictable twists and turns that come with.Set all that against the backdrop of post-independence Singapore, and what you have is a peek into the world of Gimme Lao, the poster boy of Sebastian Sim's first English novel, published in 2016. The charm in Sim's writing comes from his ability to transition seamlessly between the ongoing narratives of each of the book's characters, which each serve to highlight the themes of the chapter and spice up the life of our fledgling protagonist.
Jeremy
27 Jun 2022
This book is such a page-turner, you will be going through Gimme's life story - from the day he was born, to having grey hair of age. It surprising involved topics that would otherwise be avoided or not discussed publicly. Start reading and you won't want to stop. Brilliant work from Sebastian!
Ann
13 Dec 2022
Interesting read. Thought provoking. Entertaining
English
Singapore