LOST IN PUTRAJAYA

by Zurairi A R (Editor), Jeannette Goon, Marc de Faoite

LOST IN PUTRAJAYA compiles 14 stories about literally and figuratively losing yourself — either in the physical administrative capital, in the murky political machinery, or in the labyrinth of civil service. Behind the facade of Putrajaya, many can get lost: migrants, journalists, hitchhikers, or even bunian and djinns. This book might not help you find your way out, but at least it will make you feel better about getting lost.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2014

Reviews

[Anna Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally liked this. Some of the stories were stronger than others (it really slumped in the middle), but I guess that's how it goes.

Drifting Azaleas (Paul Gnanaselvam) is an amusing account of Saras' application for Malaysian citizenship and her struggling attempt to speak in Malay. I thought this was a rather promising start to the anthology.
Listen to Your Grandmother (Jeannette Goon) is a story of an abused wife. The only connection it seems to have to Putrajaya is that Violet works there.
Back to visa applicatoins, Green Onions (Marc De Faoite) is Marc's hilarious account of applying for a Spouse Visa. I love the Malaysian voice that Marc has gained in this story.
Lost Toy (Claudia Skyler Foong) was a rather sweet story about a day out with Daddy - looking for a lost toy. Midway through I kind of suspected the ending, but it was sweet nonetheless. I don't know if kids are that smart at six, but maybe they are.
In Summer (Adriana Nordin Manan), Kimberly's summer plans of working with Prof Elkinson at the University of Chicago was dashed when she was unexpectedly called home to work with the government as part of her JPA scholarship. It was okay as a summer story, though I don't really know if there was a point to it. Also, I've never heard of the fact that you can't register a Western name if you're not a Christian. And the ratio of 1:2? What?
The Wedding Bet (Anuar Shah) was a pointless, sex-filled story. Did not like.
Blue Jeans (Eileen Lian) was also kind of meh. I mean, it was kind of heart-warming, but not really enough? Actually, the format was a little like one of those "saya sebatang pen" stories from primary school where you start talking about the life of some object and where it ended up.
I didn't really enjoy Bunian Diaspora (Alistair Yong) either. A combination of not really my style and ugh, spirit stories.
The Signs of the End Times (Hadi M Nor) - blatant sedition. Hah. It did reek a little of "trying too hard".
Broken Kaleidoscope (Timothy Nakayama) brought the book back to a better place. Alex is stuck in the rat race, losing his way, his girlfriend, and almost losing his life. I'm not sure if the jumping back and forth over time actually adds anything to the story, but it's a good enough read.
In Lost Highway (Marco Ferrarese), Santiago tries to hitchhike from Puchong to Singapore, only to find himself stranded in the middle of Putrajaya, in the middle of something that's not likely to be good for his health.
I think The Ministry of Sun and Storms (Terence Toh) is the best story in this book. It's delightfully funny and has a proper story arch and satisfying conclusion. If this were a stand-alone story, I'd probably rate it a 5/5. Then again, I'm probably biased. I like almost every story Terence posts on FB. Also it's fantasy :D So basically, Fairuz finds out there is a Ministry of Sun and Storms, which is an unofficial Night Ministry of the government, which uses bomohs to control the weather. With a stack of application forms and a nice girl in the ministry who does him favours, Fairuz is set to make a killing by selling weather services.
Sangsalibut (Nizam Shadan) - random genie story which I found a little meh.
I'm rather ambivalent about Mosquito Heart (William Tham Wai Liang) too. It started off really well but the ending was a little... random. Maybe what I really didn't like about it was that it seemed to want to talk about weightier things (like elections, sedition, unfair persecution), but settled instead to follow an albeitly already introduced theme on a death threat and random stalker.

[Marc Faoite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer - I am one of the contributors to this anthology.

All in all a pretty good read with some highs and lows.

The stories towards the end of the book were stronger, ending on a high note with the excellent Mosquito Heart by William Tham Wai Liang.

I also particularly enjoyed (in no particular order) Broken Kaleidoscope by Timothy Nakayama, Lost Highway by Marco Ferrarese, The Ministry of Sun and Storms by Terence Toh.

The writing in Summer by Adriana Nordin Manan is excellent though the story was a little too 'nice' for me. Looking forward to reading more from her.

I was really enjoying Sangsalibut by Nizam Shadan - a great feat of imagination and lovely writing. This story was well paced and should have ended with a bang, but sadly fizzled out without much climax.

My favourite story in this collection was The Signs Of End Times by Hadi Nor which was hilarious and well observed, but would be utterly meaningless to anyone who doesn't have any interest or knowledge of the long running soap-opera that is Malaysian politics.

[Rumaizah Bakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/B...

[Sara J. (kefuwa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So going through my shelf of Fixi books (I had not realised how many I had actually picked up until one day I put them altogether - hahahaha) and this ended up being the 2nd one I finished (the first being "Love In Penang" which I haven't yet reviewed btw)! A collection of short stories about/around the theme of Putrajaya. That gargantuan mass of crazy roadworks with it's mass of un-intuitively named roads/sections nestling government offices and ministries all sweltering in the urban tropical heat... - well that is the image I get in my head anyhow after reading these tales - I haven't been there - at least not that I remember anyhow.

Anyway back to the collection - I did not go into it with much expectations so I found myself pleasantly surprised by some but still underwhelmed by most. My work requires some wrangling with Immi about once or twice a year so could emphatise with Marc De Faoite's "Green Onions" but I found the trio of fantasy-striated tales probably appealed to me most (haha, sff is my "genre of choice" after all) - Bunian Diaspora, Sangsalibut & The Ministry of Sun and Storms - in that order, with Bunian being the one with some potential but not quite getting there, Sangsalibut starting great but somehow just missed the mark on that end (poor S'libut) and The Ministry of Sun and Storms being an absolute gem!

As far as being a pulp fiction anthology goes, it definitely hits the mark. Reading the Fixi Novo manifesto puts me in the right kind of mindset to read their anthologies I think. I am slowly forming a dream team of short story writers based on these books. Let me get through these other Fixi Novo's first...

[sn_fiq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and some stories are relatable, especially the part where you got lost in Putrajaya.

[Shaun Liew · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend wrote a story titled Broken Kaleidoscope. It brought the reader in and out of the story at the correct pace, without leaving the reader suddenly lost in the story, which was how I felt when I finished Sangsalibut rather abruptly. Timothy Nakayama used descriptions that made you feel like you were looking through the eyes of the characters, albeit a bit heavy on some of the terms. I also liked how he constructed the dreams the main character was having. This leaves some space for interpretation for the reader, which is a good thing because readers like me love to think about what type of message the author wants to convey. Overall, it was one of my favourites.

Lost Toy was also one of my favourites, although it was really cliché. However, this is not a bad thing. In a collection of short stories, you would want a variety of themes to make it more readable and interesting, like the ups and downs of a roller coaster ride. The ending of Lost Toy melted my heart, making it go "AWWWW".

And then you read a story about Gay Jewish Agents and the Lost Children of Malaysia. Cracked me up at each page!

After that, you get Mosquito Heart and Lost Highway, which were the darker stories in the book. A reminder of what the political situation in Malaysia is still like, behind the facade of the superficial progress of nation.

Overall, a fun read. Looking forward to read Love in Penang soon.

[Doreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't normally read introduction but I am glad I did for this book. I would be interested to read a story about a bunian prime minister!
drifting azaleas: a bit funny...
listen to your grandmother: erm... yea one should in this case...
green onions: haha... green onions! that is the precise word that I use for them as well! p/s: is this story based on actual experience? I totally feel for you...
lost toy: a bittersweet story… awww
summer: errrrr betul kah ini?? balik kerja la……
the wedding bet: bulu roma boleh naik ini…
blue jeans: one's person junk is another's person treasure.
bunian diaspora: ehm… sounds like orang asli dilemma…
the sign of end times: seems like an actual prophesy … hmmm
broken kaleidoscope: the importance of work life balance … and don't let your job dictates how you live your life!
lost highway: one does not hitchhike in Malaysia……
the ministry of sun and storms: quite funny
sangsalibut: the poor jinn…
mosquito heart: hmmm. very heavy stuff here… but such an abrupt ending.
overall, the stories only strengthen mg resolve to not include putrajaya as one of the places to visit…
note: i find that some of the stories highlight on how warm (hot!) the weather is in putrajaya ……

[Sean Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another decent anthology from Fixi Novo. As with many books of this type, the quality of the stories varies, with some really great tales sitting alongside others that either try too hard or just don't go anywhere. The uniting theme of this collection is the federal administrative centre Putrajaya which was created in the 90s.

The standout stories for me include Marc de Faoite's "Green Onions", "Broken Kaleidoscope" by Timothy Nakayama, Marco Ferrarses's "Lost Highway", "The Ministry of Sun and Storms" by Timothy Toh and "Mosquito Heart" by William Tan Wai Liang.

Not as good on the whole as the Love In Penang anthology, but it won't put me off reading the other location based anthology, Hungry in Ipoh.

[William Liang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall it was a much lighter read than KL Noir, to me it feels more similar in tone to Love in Penang for some reason! I really enjoy the Fixi Novo anthologies which take place in a specific location, and this book does the job. I particularly liked 'The Ministry of Sun and Storms', as well as 'Green Onions'-the latter had a very Brazil-esque bureaucratic feel to it!

[Ismim Putera · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting collection of stories revolving around Putrajaya. The stories offer a peek into government office, a funny sci-fi on weather, a horrible adventure by a jinni & some memoir-like prose on slices of life. I hope more anthology like this will be published in the future.

[Azril Noor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories dengan Putrajaya sebagai latar tempatnya. Siapa je yang tak pernah sesat di situ kan? Ada misteri, fantasi dan simpang jalan. Personal favorite aku; Lost Toy (advencer antara anak dan bapak), Broken Kaleidoscope (tentang belon udara panas berserta mimpi dan ingatan), dan The Ministry of Sun and Storms (tentang bomoh cuaca).

[Sya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost In Putrajaya gave me different vibe. I lived in Cyber/Putra maybe around 6-7 years. Most of the stories sangat lucu, and every fictions in there macam berganti-ganti wownya terutama Ministry of Suns and Storms. Btw based on the title itself, Putrajaya memang sangat mudah untuk sesat (kalau jarang lalu). I gave this book 9/10.

[Kathy Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another collection of short stories. It's not the conventional type. I suppose only those who observe the political situation and the life in Msia would get some of the hints in the stories. Am a Malaysian and yet I don't really get some of the stories here.

[Noushin Rayysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

the writing was amazing, a beautiful twist on the city putrajaya, with stories you can get lost in.

[Andres Eguiguren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was given to me as a gift by one of my students as a parting gift, as I will be leaving Putrajaya in a few days after nearly two years here. To be honest, I can only recommend this collection to someone who lives in, or has at least visited, Malaysia's federal capital.

The writers seem to be fairly young and the quality of the stories is a little uneven. This is perhaps to be expected in any short story collection, but the lack of consistency was a little disappointing.

The story "Green Onions" by the Irish writer Marc de Faoite in the short story collection Lost in Putrajaya captures what life is like here quite well: "The immigration office was in a building in the area known as Presint 2, which is conveniently and logically located beside Presint 18. To say that Putrajaya is unique is accurate, but conveys little sense of what that entails. There is a peculiar eeriness to the place. It isn't a real city in the traditional sense of the word; in fact it would be hard to find a more unreal city. Putrajaya is an artificial construct. There is nothing organic, unplanned or spontaneous about it... The human element doesn't seem to have been considered in the design of Presint 2. There are no shops, no pavement cafes, no people. Presumably they are all hiding from the harsh sun that beats down mercilessly, its light blindingly reflected off the glass and steel and its heat absorbed by the endless expanses of concrete."

Like Brasilia, Putrajaya was purpose-built to become the federal capital of Malaysia. Like its more famous South American cousin, it was designed on a grand architectural scale that seemingly failed to take people into account. I've never been to Brazil's capital city, but I would like to think that the favelas and the spirit of the Brazilian people have at least partially humanized that World Heritage site in a way that is sadly missing from the grandiose, yet ultimately sterile, city of Putrajaya.

[Wan · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS YET THE BEST BOOK FROM FIXI NOVO. I must say so. Read this book is like eating Chocolate Indulgence, crave it more and more. Good Job Buku Fixi and Fixi Novo. I give 4 stars out of 5. Worth it!

[Anuar Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My short story, The Wedding Bet, is in it but that is not the reason I like this book. It is great because even in such a boring place like Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia, people can find great stories happening around it

[Rushy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tells a lot about Putrajaya and the immigrants there. Tells about the difficulties of the immigrants to get the certificate and identification card to live in Malaysia. I guess our country is pretty easy to accept other foreigners to be one of the us.

[Pie Mesnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the stories in these books are greatly describe how the uniquely design and technically great city can make you lost,lost in paradise. Thanks Fixi,i enjoy read this book

[Abigail Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far its a good book and every author has their own writing style .Enjoy reading it but i don't think i can be familiar with the roads in Putrajaya yet .

[Amirah Fathiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really goooodddd. Except for that one short story that confused me.

[Narukids Deadfish · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of the stories i skipped because it's boring .____.

[Normala AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Intriguing and thrilling but funny too. Ah, it's everything!

[Mastura AR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favourites:
lost toy
summer
blue jeans
the ministry of sun and storms