The Disappearance of Patrick Zhou

by Ally Chua

Finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

The Zhou-Guthrie company is a powerful one, with an oil palm fortune built on the suffering of others. One night, Patrick Zhou, the charismatic heir to the business, disappears en route to a conference, never to be seen again.

Fifteen years later, Zhou-Guthrie is a failing dynasty. The matriarch, Doris Zhou, is on her deathbed. In her last lucid moments, Doris tasks her granddaughter, Layla, with finding out what happened to Patrick. To solve this disappearance, Layla will uncover corporate espionage, environmental crimes and family secrets—perhaps intimately connected to the ghost stories Uncle Patrick told her years ago.

Genres: Mystery, Asian Literature

264 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2023

About the author

Ally Chua was the 2019 Singapore Unbound Fellow for New York City, and a member of writing collective /s@ber. She has been published in QLRS, Cordite Poetry Review, Lammergeier Magazine and Thimble Magazine. Her poetry collection, Acts of Self Consumption, will be published by Recent Work Press in Spring 2023. The Disappearance of Patrick Zhou is her first novel, and a finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize.

Reviews

[Wen-yi Lee]

my blurb:
Ally Chua gives vicious corporate dynasty a gothic turn in a Johor estate lurking with buried secrets, where too-real monsters emerge from the unearthed rot to drag generations of a family into a reckoning with both their bloody legacy and each other. A haunting in which the worst ghosts are among ourselves.

[Ianna Chia · Rating 5 out of 5]

a well-paced mystery with satisfying payoff. worldbuilding is vivid but the large cast of characters can be hard to follow at times. would recommend to anyone who likes the vibes of family drama / asian (lack-of) communication as a narrative driver.

[Meivy A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is enjoyable and easy to read. The story unfolded nicely and I can understand where each characters were coming from. It is reminiscent of Gadis Kretek by Ratih Kumala, where an elder requested their youngest grandchild to go on a mission to solve family mysteries.

I guess what I'm most disappointed in is how Layla's view on her family barely changed, even after learning some gruesome stuff about what her ultrarich palm oil conglomerate family did (be it to their workers, to their business rivals, or even to their own relatives). I couldn't help but think that Layla's journalistic endeavour was her way of distancing herself from her family, only to become another girlboss in this world.

[Gill Schell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8*: An entertaining, quick read. Somehow it didn't pull me in though. I enjoyed the descriptions of Johore and the plantations, and can imagine the pull these very wealthy families have. However, there was something missing, perhaps not enough suspense - can't put my finger on it.

[Narmeen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thoughts as I read:

Why does she use the phrase "larger than life" 1000 times? Every new character is described this way?

The protagonist is giving I'm not like other girls with her being a "reported with an edgy tragic backstory and no one knows she actually comes from a rich famous family"

Quote from her dad explaining where he lived in singapore "In a house off sixth avenue" ?? This isn't America wtf is sixth avenue.

Tell me why new balance and adidas is considered "trendy"

Overall it just missed the mark for me, had to DNF it

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched mystery with supernatural elements.

[nephrite · Rating 5 out of 5]

no fcking way, this book was so scary and UNDERRATED?!!!!! SIAL

27/4/25
but on a serious note, this book was good n disturbing. just my lane yk. it touches on some really really dark topic like r#pe, hint of murder, complicated family dynamics, all that stuff. its my first time reading a SEA book, close to home: Singapore. but wow, so dark n twisty, i didnt expect it at all. very disturbing.