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!

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.

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!

Interesting read. Thought provoking. Entertaining