Sarong Secrets 2023

by Lee Su Kim

Pure reading pleasure from start to finish … bitter-sweet, light and delicate as the kebaya, spiced with the tang of sambal belachan.

From the author of the award-winning bestseller Kebaya Tales comes yet another amazing collection featuring the colourful world of the babas and nyonyas. In Sarong Secrets, Su Kim tells more tales of passion and unfulfilled love, of innocence lost, greed and betrayal, of loneliness and the search for a sense of belonging – all of which harken to the unique Peranakan culture, a heritage teetering on the brink of extinction. Filled with humour, wit and vivid details, her compelling stories will delight and excite.

Includes a colour section of beautiful sarongs, accessories and artifacts from a unique community renowned for its love of colour and sumptuous material culture.

Genres: Short Stories

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Atiqah Ghazali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another charming, fast pace, light reading yet full with underlying meanings. Finished reading this whole book in less than two hours. Love it very much!

[Max Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars (rounded down)

I was pleasantly surprised by Sarong Secrets, as I wasn't going into it with any idea of what it was going to be: turns out, it's a cosy short story collection centering Malaysian culture.

It wasn't perfect, and I felt at some points the writing could've used another edit, as there were moments where a comma could've been used or some writing could've been more expressive. That isn't to say that the writing is bad, as it is really expressive and witty at points, which is one of the strengths of this novel. I did find the overall collection to be somewhat dampened by a lack of a consistent through line for the collection. Despite the fact that it was titled Sarong Secrets, sarongs didn't feature heavily in many of the stories, and this lack of cohesion kind of dampens the overall collection's weight, especially given that some of the stories are pretty shallow on their own.

With that being said, the domesticity and calm of the stories creates an air of undeniable charm which, when accompanied by the quaint and witty writing described above, makes for a pleasing and easy read. I jumped into this one directly after the Master and Margarita, a big and impenetrable Russian Classic, so this acted as a palette cleanser which was pleasant throughout.

[Yin Chien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Su Kim has an almost lyrical prose - the scenes under her pen come to live, bustling with noises, tastes and scents. However, I find that most of the short stories ended very abruptly, when they have the potential to be developed further into full-fledged novels, i.e., "The Tenant". It's interesting that many of her stories reveal a juxtaposition of different cultures between the West and East, with the elderly making forlorn yet adamant decisions to remain in their homeland while their children soar towards greater heights in search for equal opportunities and better pay. Overall a well-written collection of short stories, and I look forward to reading more from Lee Su Kim.

[Izzah Berhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

Himpunan cerpen pelbagai perisa emosi. Ada lucu, marah dan sedih. Ooops seram pun ada tau! Seronok menelusuri sisi pandang baba nyonya dlm kehidupan pelbagai bangsa di Malaysia. Cuma, kekuatan emosi di dlmnya tidak begitu kuat, terdapat beberapa cerpen sahaja yg rasa merentap jiwa. Tetapi tetap memberi manfaat. Yang paling suka tentunya kecantikan visual buku ini, dari muka depan sampai belakang semuanya cantik. Gambar-gambar Sarong yg cukup indah tidak puas ditenang. Besar benar penangan batik dlm kehidupan manusia. Indonesia (jawa), Cina, Melayu, malah Eropah juga menyumbang kpd keindahan batik yg ada kemudian menjadikan sarong bercorak batik sbg warisan yg dibanggakan malah menyimpan seribu satu makna dlm kehidupan dari zaman ke zaman.

[Susan Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, I have been contemplating on which books should I start from my TBR and I have decided to start with this, Sarong Secrets by Lee Su Kim.

There are 12 short stories which made it a breeze to finish reading it! It was unique, interesting and, most importantly, different as there were many photos of various sarongs and its history! It's well written, the stories infused with local beliefs and baba nyonya cultures which are refreshing yet relatable for me. I've definitely enjoyed it and feeling enriched with all the sarong history!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another awesome light reading

[Shafiqahsamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories involving Baba Nyoya cultures and value.

The stories are relatable as a Malaysian.

All the stories reflect the title. It as if telling us all people got their own stories to tell. Wearing their own sarong, they got their own secret.

At the beginning of the book, there's an introduction about the Sarong and also at the end of the book. The writer told us about Sarong with a beautiful illustration. Makes me wonder if Baba Nyoya Sarong differs from our usual sarong.

I did not prefer Sarong for daily use. I was not interested in knowing more. But this book definitely changed my mind and made me proud of our Sarong.

[Ismim Putera · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. This is a beautiful and delicate short stories collection. I like "Freedom In A Cage" and "The Tenant Upstairs". I was particularly drawn to "Freedom In A Cage". The mixtures of POV from the human and the animal are very interesting. It has the potential to be further developed into longer work. The rest of the stories are okay, with simple storyline strong enough to lull you to sleep. I like the additional notes on Baba Nyonya. There are very educational. I hope the author can write a book on Baba Nyonya culture.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautifully written piece of work that is a delight to read. This book turned up wrapped in a green paper package in my letter box for Christmas.

I spent time sitting with my blue tea and kaya toast transported back to my childhood in Penang, lost in the pages and smiling through tears while reading these beautifully written pages. What an absolute treasure. Thank you Dr lee

[Shuhada Ramli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 4.9 stars

Review : A short and simple review, I love this book better than the Kebaya Tales. I have enjoyed every short story in it. An easy reading and very relaxing. There were quite a few of it played by emotions and also capturing the most nostalgic and historical moment with Sarongs / Batik. On top of everything, I will always love Lee Su Kim's books.

This review is from my point of view. We may have different opinions. Feel free to share if there is any.

[Alicia Cheah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of short stories featuring the Baba Nyonya culture. Being a nyonya herself, the author wrote with familiarity and passion.

I like that she intersperse the short stories of horror, betrayal and passion with pictures of beautiful sarongs and batik prints.

[Kataklicik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually take to short stories - I find them too short to have enough bite. These, however, are really good, perhaps because I could identify with them. Love.

[Hanani Fernweh · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s interesting if you’re not familiar with Malaya.
The short stories are very predictable

[sn_fiq · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice easy heartwarming read.

[Introvert Insane · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, there are plenty of beautiful Malaysian stories weaved in our daily lives. Every single day, each one of us has a story worthy to tell.

[Charlynnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually skeptical of local tales, I am surprised that Su Kim's stories and very easy to read. Simple tales surrounding the Peranakan traditions, values and customs, reading these stories took my back to the times when my own Peranakan grandparents told me tales, cooked sumptuous food (bakwan kepeting, babi pongteh etc.) and teaching me simple Malay words mixed into our everyday English. I finished this in one sitting; a very enjoyable read.

P.s. the book is also peppered with pictures of Peranakan culture, clothes and poems with english translations. It was great fun testing my Malay to see if I understood and to my delight, those familiar words rang a bell!

[Shafinah J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee's art of storytelling is gentle and nuanced and extremely easy even for the foreign reader to digest. i finished all three books in this series (Kebaya Tales, Sarong Secrets, and Manek Mischiefs) in one sitting within the span of five days, and the only mild grievance i developed during this time is with regard to their dialogues; which felt to me consistently awkward, and the colloquialism unnatural. (i am a native Singlish speaker myself.)

nevertheless, it is but an isolated sentiment, and i found Lee to be otherwise impeccable and impressively meticulous in her craft. her first-hand insight to one of Asia's scarcest cultures comes priceless in the world of Asian literature; where Babas and Nyonyas rarely take any stage, let alone front and centre. despite their opulence and riches, the height of the Peranakans came at the culmination of the Second World War- which dramatically reshaped their lives and fortunes- and at the heart all these stories lies a perspective that is real, and authentic, and fully alive; imbued with the feelings and sensibilities of a voice that could almost have you believing that she was there herself.

.

i came across another reviewer who (rightly) noted that many of Lee's short stories could make for whole books, and i cannot agree more. many of the short stories in this trilogy feel extremely distilled yet spacious at the same time. i thoroughly enjoyed every piece set in this book, and three stories which i think could really hold its own as a book are:

- Heaven Has Eyes
- The Tenant
- The Collector

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another set of short stories / vignettes about Peranakan life interspersed with color photos of gorgeous sarongs, jewelry, and nonya ware.

I did not like this one as much as the first one, Kebaya Tales.

[Phing Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all Su Kim books and wished there were more in the works!