What do you think?
Rate this book
Babette's Feast #4
The Law of Second Marriages
If I had to do it all over again, I would lie to my father. I think he wanted me to lie to him too, but I hadn’t quite perfected the art of lying yet. I’ve been trying to make up for it ever since. The best liars always tell a mixture of truth and lies, and the very best believe their own lies in the end. ~ Christine Chia
- GenresPoetry
92 pages, Chapbook
First published October 1, 2011
70 people want to read
About the author
Christine Chia
14 books9 followersChristine Chia is the author of The Law of Second Marriages (Math Paper Press, 2011 and 2014). She is the co-editor of a forthcoming poetry anthology A Luxury We Cannot Afford (Math Paper Press, end 2014) and a featured writer at the Singapore Literature Festival in New York (Oct 10-12, 2014). Christine contributes poetry variously to such projects and publications as Prairie Schooner, softblow, Blue Lyra Review, Drift Index and the Substation Love Letters Project.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 24, 2012
My beloved friend and idol, the Singaporean writer Cyril Wong gave me this as a gift.
"The best liars always tell a mixture of truth and lies, and the very best believe their own lies in the end."
This line from the book's introduction really caught me. In a way, I am affected by this passage and made me more interested to read the book. Lying is more common in fictional prose. Poems for me are more of the truth and therefore, more genuine. So it made me wonder, how could this poetry collection be, in a way, a product of lies? The author herself stated that this book would only be touching if the reader believes that it is the unequivocal truth.
The Law of Second Marriages is a short but interesting book. It is a book of poetry about family, but it also talks about love, desire, pain and other emotions and realities of life. A family psychodrama indeed, as the poet herself stated. In a way, I see this book as a sort of novel, a drama wherein the story is written in the form of short poems. The poetry is very direct. Sometimes, there are no metaphors or any other literary devices. It is written in a plain and concise way that sometimes bothers me in a way because the images it creates are so stark. The poems can be interpreted in many ways because of the curt vignette-like structure of each one, little anecdotes that shows a momentary picture in the mind's eye. It is up to us readers how we would decipher the messages of the poem, the same way a painting paints a thousand words.
After reading this short chapbook, I became interested to read more of Christine Chia's writings and I hope I would be able to procure some more of them soon.
"The best liars always tell a mixture of truth and lies, and the very best believe their own lies in the end."
This line from the book's introduction really caught me. In a way, I am affected by this passage and made me more interested to read the book. Lying is more common in fictional prose. Poems for me are more of the truth and therefore, more genuine. So it made me wonder, how could this poetry collection be, in a way, a product of lies? The author herself stated that this book would only be touching if the reader believes that it is the unequivocal truth.
The Law of Second Marriages is a short but interesting book. It is a book of poetry about family, but it also talks about love, desire, pain and other emotions and realities of life. A family psychodrama indeed, as the poet herself stated. In a way, I see this book as a sort of novel, a drama wherein the story is written in the form of short poems. The poetry is very direct. Sometimes, there are no metaphors or any other literary devices. It is written in a plain and concise way that sometimes bothers me in a way because the images it creates are so stark. The poems can be interpreted in many ways because of the curt vignette-like structure of each one, little anecdotes that shows a momentary picture in the mind's eye. It is up to us readers how we would decipher the messages of the poem, the same way a painting paints a thousand words.
After reading this short chapbook, I became interested to read more of Christine Chia's writings and I hope I would be able to procure some more of them soon.
September 14, 2021
I enjoyed the writing and found the method of storytelling via poems a refreshing one. That said, I did find some of the characters brought up confusing due to the lack of introduction to them - esp because “Mother” refers to different people. If the link was tighter it would have elevated the book even further. It stops a little short for me. There’s a lot of potential to do more. Easy read, nonetheless, and something worth exploring if you want to see how a local family / childhood drama is presented in a novel way.
November 18, 2012
An excellent book, brimming with deep emotions
December 27, 2020
Some really good poems, I especially loved New Year Dress, loved Cyril Wong's introduction too. The ending felt a bit abrupt for me though!
Still, I loved how this anthology/memoir was unafraid to delve into deeper, darker themes. Would be excited to read more from Christine Chia!
Still, I loved how this anthology/memoir was unafraid to delve into deeper, darker themes. Would be excited to read more from Christine Chia!
September 23, 2020
Comic artists capture dynamic movement by drawing action at the very beginning of the range of motion. This is how Christine Chia writes her poems. Drama escalates and before it gets full-blown, she gently closes her poem. This keeps you reading on, making me finish this collection in one sitting. Also, I grew up in a normal family. This collection is an eye-opener about dysfunctional families.
September 27, 2012
Such a touching and truthful piece of family, a worthwhile read!
February 5, 2013
Simple, quick read. Yet like movie clips flashing across my mind. Some strong emotions.
November 15, 2013
A daring, sharp-edged poetry. Movingly succinct and heartfelt.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews