Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me and Other Stories

by Cyril Wong

“An eclectic collection of short stories that is original and often deeply moving.” —Dave Chua, author of The Beating and Other Stories

“Cyril Wong’s largely character-driven stories demonstrate clearly how they are inspired, in each case, when a personality passes through a moment of crisis, as in the tales of R.K. Narayan. Whether his people are young or adult, female or male, gay or straight, there is always a struggle and a revelation. Sometimes there is no resolution. Cyril writes with insight and sympathy about people in a Singapore spectrum that readers can identify with.” —Robert Yeo, playwright and author of The Adventures of Holden Heng

A woman learns of a friend’s illness and wonders if she ever truly knew him. A boy who sees ghosts heeds the advice of a fortune-teller, with surprising consequences. A girl wakes up and realises everybody in her Bedok neighbourhood has vanished. This collection brings together, for the first time, both new and previously published stories by Cyril Wong, the award-winning author of The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza. Ranging from the commonplace to the surreal, these short narratives feature characters in crisis, with two stories crossing intriguingly into creative autobiography.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, LGBT

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Cyril Wong is a two-time Singapore Literature Prize-winning poet and the recipient of the Singapore National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award for Literature. His books include poetry collections Tilting Our Plates to Catch the Light (2007) and The Lover’s Inventory (2015), novels The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza (2013) and This Side of Heaven (2020), and fiction collection Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me (2014). He completed his doctoral degree in English Literature at the National University of Singapore in 2012. His works have been featured in the Norton anthology, Language for a New Century, in Chinese Erotic Poems by Everyman’s Library, and in magazines and journals around the world. His writings have been translated into Turkish, German, Italian, French, Portuguese and Japanese.

Reviews

[Diana]

This book is a collection of stories that explore the subjective. That's what I thought 3 stories in and what has been affirmed after I finished reading it.

A salient feature I noticed is the realization that we don't ever know a person completely. It's most obvious in stories where there are two close companions or even lovers, like in "Pneumonia", "Nobody Loves You Right Now", "Susan's Certainty" amongst others, & the protagonist realizes that they do not know the other at all. Not truly, at least. The other side of this realization is of course, loneliness. For if even in the closest of intimacy the other remains far, then what hope is there? Yet there isn't that sort of despair entirely either.. I think this is best exemplified in "Cinema".

In "Cinema" I have a certain fondness for the blue-collar worker Keng Kiat, the sort of character the young idealist will hold up as an example of what NOT to be. Content with the basics, what some would call "unaware", living a dronish existence, the blank-faced commuter. Yet this was a story that ended by telling us how Keng Kiat was a completely contented, happy man. His brief encounter with the beautiful, well-off lady had only affirmed how right his mode of existence was for him. And I loved that their meeting, so unlikely, was written as both banal but also magical.

In these stories of two people who don't truly know each other, there is a brief gap where they get a glimpse of the other, of how deep the waters truly run. In the end, their knowing is little, and while one can think of this as a despairing truth of modern existence, one can also look at it with a certain wonder, the way "Cinema" and, more endearingly between mother and son, the story "The Mistake", does. How wonderful it is, that in all our loneliness, we sometimes connect with someone, however brief. And how wonderful it is to be surprised by each other's depth when a gap opens opens for us to peek in.

[Atikah Wahid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cyril Wong could really write and he writes beautifully. Each character is crafted uniquely its own. However, I always feel the stories end during the rising action rather than having a climax and a fulfilling ending. I wanted to know more but the story always ends soon after.

[Kirat Kaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think I like Cyril Wong's poetry much better than his prose. Many of the stories in this collection were surprisingly unsophisticated, although some, especially the most personal ones that described his working class homophobic upbringing, were necessary to hear. My favourite story was Steamboat.

[James Fong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories I like, ranked in order:
1. Steamboat
2. Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me
3. Nobody Loves You Right Now
4. Pneumonia
5. Cinema
6. The Mistake
7. Zero Hour

[Seraphiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this. Cyril is the master of beautiful words that speak to the heart, like this:

"... but you know what, the best thing about love is never having to explain what it is to other people. Love is what I have chosen to make of it...."

Which story is this from? Go pick up this book and find out for yourself. :)

[Nawara H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

นี่คือนักเขียนสิงคโปร์คนแรกที่เรารู้จัก เคยอ่านแต่รวมบทกวีของคนนี้ แต่พอมาเป็นรวมเรื่องสั้นกลับไม่ค่อยชอบเท่าไหร่ แต่มันก็ไม่ใช่งานประเภทที่บอกกับตัวเองว่า ‘ฉันจะเลิกอ่านงานคนนี้แล้วจ้า’ ถ้ามีเล่มใหม่ก็อยากติดตามอีก อาจเพราะเราชอบบทกวีของเค้าที่ทั้งหวานทั้งเศร้ามากๆ เลยเชื่อมือว่าเค้าจะมีงานที่ดีออกมาอีกแน่นอน

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these stories, especially Cinema and Zero Hour.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating : 3.75/5 stars

[feifei · Rating 3 out of 5]

quite ambivalent about this — i *wanted* to enjoy it a lot more than i actually did :/

the stories i liked:
- applause: intriguing spin on the behind the scenes / under the surface of what goes on in our mental health institutions. however can only judge this take on how creative it is and not how accurate, but it did evoke some empathy in me
- ten things my father never taught me: never seen asian daddy issues captured so beautifully
- steamboat: got me thinking again about polygamy and, well, homosexuality

—> seems to be that i prefer cyril wong when he is working with the personal and abstract. will check out some of his poetry after this.

[bobanbang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the stories here are wildly engrossing and beautifully written, though the quality is inconsistent

[Ryu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would definitely read more of his works.

Favourite stories:
- Pneumonia
- Nobody Loves You Right Now
- Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me (this one... phew)
- The Bodhisattva Makes Her Case
- Zero Hour

All the cliches are true: time stops when love enters the room. Minds cease to function in unearthing the past to hold up like an accusatory mirror. Minds merge; and all they mirror is the present moment which stretches forever in all directions. Even in the darkest time of the night, the single mirror of two such minds may only shimmer and shine.

[Julie Koh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories are as varied as they are moving, and full of life-lessons about the paradoxes of relationships and the anguish or rare moments of happiness, even hilarity, that might result from falling in or out of love (with another or with oneself).

[Jap Hengky · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Singaporean author, comes a great touching story.

[M Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empathetic portraits of love and the lack of in various relationships.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly i couldnt really get into most stories. but the titular story was quite enjoyable.

[Hoong · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were published 11 years ago, likely reflecting the beliefs, norms, and practices of that decade. 'Applause' is just a story about mental illness and self-dependency; 'Pneumonia' is about a gay character's friendship at work with a female colleague. It illustrates the complexity of 'high-context communication' common in East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. 'Nobody loves you right now' is on the friendship of two teenagers, one with mental illness and the other, an introvert with psychic ability. Based on these 3 stories, Cyril creates fictional case studies on different random individuals. Compared to Shenzheners that I had read, this allows the reader to understand the characters' POV in more detail. 'Ten things my father never taught me' is about the author's relationship with his family, especially his father. These depictions, perhaps, in creative nonfiction, show a cultural difference between mainland Chinese authors and diaspora Chinese authors who portray their families. The latter shows the influence of Western thought. 'Steamboat' brings up the concept of heteronormality in a homosexual relationship as seen through a Singaporean gay perspective. In 'A Short History,' the one-month gay love relationship between Robert and an unnamed salesman shows the lack of communication between the two, making this a good short case to use in a counseling class (for university seniors). Using a heterosexual couple, the story 'Susan's Certainty' explores the differences between relationship expectations in a straight couple met through a live event. Perhaps it is a social commentary on working women who weren't amendable to the traditional gender role in a marriage or eventual family in Southeast Asia, making it a form of activism. Next, 'Cinema' tells of a chance meeting between a bored housewife in an unhappy marriage and an older low-skilled staff at a cinema. Perhaps a low education attained can likely make one interpret external cues particularly unflatteringly. It only shows that it'll pay dividends to attain quality education. 'The Mistake' tells a new widow and her son's experience in which the victimized party shows unexpected kindness. This is a worrisome scamming practice used frequently by professional beggars in my country of residence. 'Mr. Aw prepares for his guests' tells of a ninety-year-old man reminiscing about his good luck of having caring children, unlike his friend at the nursing home. While it may not mean much to non-Chinese readers, we'll realize the importance of the Confucian norm of filial piety to those growing up Chinese. 'The Vomiting Incident' is autobiographical short nonfiction. Here, the reader glimpses into the lives of an extended family caused by financial constraints. The importance of marriage to the older Chinese generation and how it can contrast with the romantic ideals of entertainment media. The last piece, 'Zero Hour,' is a sci-fi piece on the emotional state of a Muslim woman. It could have been extended a little further. Overall, the two gay genre stories are not adulterated with the Yaoi genre tropes and demonstrate that Wong can write about genuine gay experiences like his gay-themed poems. Moreover, I got to know a bit more about Singaporean culture.

[Xin Ru Toh · Rating 4 out of 5]

To coincide with the ongoing Singapore Writers Festival, I decided to try reading Singapore literature for the first time (save for previously watching and reading a collection of local plays). I recall that when I studied literature in my younger days, the teachers often lamented the fact that we read foreign literature but did not pay attention to homegrown literature. I now know why my literature teachers felt that we were missing out by ignoring Singapore literature. I was stunned as I realised how much I could relate to the short stories which were interlaced with my local culture, not just in terms of superficial qualities such as local place names and Singlish words, but in terms of the ways the characters thought, felt, and behaved. I was blown away by the titular creative autobiography story "Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me". Although I am different from the writer in many ways (gender, sexual orientation, etc), I felt like he had put my thoughts into words, expressing years of repressed and mixed feelings towards my family whom I am tied to, as well as the struggle of dealing with how childhood experiences have shaped and will continue to shape me. Compared to the creative autobiography stories, the fictional short stories were less impressive to me as they seemed like brief character sketches due to the lack of a story arc. Nonetheless, I am now curious about the poetry works by the same writer, and I will also definitely be reading more Singapore literature.

[Wei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights

just because nobody loves you right now, it doesn’t mean that nobody will love you in the future. Shit like this just happens

the best thing about love is never having to explain what it is to other people. Love is what I have chosen to make of it. I love Eng—and Eng loves me, and in his own unique way too, I’m sure. I don’t question it. I just have faith that it’s real. At the end of the day, nothing lasts. The moment we hold on to something for too long, it disappears, or we just drop dead before we learn to appreciate it fully. Life is absurd and random

Death is a door that swings unceremoniously shut in everybody’s face, scissoring off any view of the past; the temporary light show of the afterlife yawning all around us, pulling us away from memory; the future life beckoning at the end of a red and throbbing channel through which the spirit inexorably falls...

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cyril Wong weaves into his stories some political commentary, some autobiography, some musings about society. I do think the autobiographical pieces, with their periperal details and nuances inherent in a keenly observant subjectivity being at odds with the life he was born into, reach deeper into our well of emotions. The invocation of certain perspectives that oppose the status quo in Singapore is appreciated, but their touch-and-go treatment repeatedly signals a missed opportunity to critically engage with the subject beyond the surface level of sprinkling well-established expressions of discontent.

[Quizás · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second read from Cyril after 'tilting our plates to catch the light'. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the inherent and inescapable human conditions of loneliness and (certainty of) uncertainty. In this collection of stories, Cyril remarkably transforms the quotidian and mundane into something beautiful, while still layering in fantastical and confessional elements.

A few of my favorite stories, in no particular order: Ten things my father never taught me, Susan's certainty, The vomiting incident, Zero hour

[woonder · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I can only write a fiction, a narrative of half-truths and thematic elements strung together for effect and in retrospect. The poignant pitfalls of retrospection: the desire to make sense of a past that is irretrievably gone."

This is a collection of nice short stories: intimate introspections of the common man with the author often mixing in his own romanticised personal memories and reconstructed half-truths. But as with short stories, they lightly touch the surface and never go too deep.

[Ron Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enduring, emotional and enlightening.

This collection of short fiction is thoughtful and intelligent in many ways and yet relatable. Each story is carefully worded and it feels very well paced.

Definitely worth the read!

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

[Jo Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cyril wong is a super talented writer but I wish his stories weren’t that short

[sbs transit · Rating 3 out of 5]

#nsreads 58

Apart from the titular piece rather unremarkable

[Neida]

Not impressed

[Fawaz Alotibe · Rating 2 out of 5]

مجموعة قصصية من دولة سنغافورة 🇸🇬
والكتاب فائز بجائزة
بدأت بداية جميلة وقصص درامية اجتماعية ذات رمزيات بسيطة
ثم تحولات مع الوقت إلى قصص اقل من عادية وللأسف اكثرها من هذا النوع كذلك مليئة بشخصيات lgbt.

[Xingyiz · Rating 2 out of 5]

plus points because bedok mentioned!!! but the endings of the stories were always too abrupt to properly enjoy the story / for the story to have much impact.