My personal favorite from Kyi Aye. The idea and plot of the author is surprisingly differ from her time, when realism flourished. Among her books, this is the first, written at a tender age of 15 ,and yet most abstract and thought-provoking one of all.
Strangely, most of the things in the book are relatable and gave me many thoughts and introspections.
Indeed, it's a great novel in which the author, Kyi Aye, explored 'existentialism' on the border. In so doing, she invented a character 'Tin May' who encountered lots of psychological scars in her life since young. All she ever wanted was simply a hint of warmth and yet her wish seemed impossibly out of her reach.
Here, I wonder if it is human nature or it's just how people try to cope with various hardship in life. In the case of the main character (Tin May) in the novel, she became hardened along with her mind, never being able to smile again though.
There is a glimpse of paradox I could feel here. I think, the novel is showing us a fragility of the mind, that is, when the mind reaches to the point of “beyond fragility”, it completely becomes the total opposite of all the values a person may have hold. In the novel, Tin May just became a very difficult person to live with.
The author introduced a smart, caring and understanding guy 'the teacher' and a momentary lover 'Ko Kyaw'. I pictured myself in the shoes of Ko Kyaw or the teacher and thought how I could have acted differently (or perhaps I would exactly act like them in the novel)
The author also explored on another great idea, that is, about 'home'. The literal meaning of 'home' gives us the sense of warmth and a place to return to. When 'home' is devoid of its meaning (in other words, when it doesn't provide warmth anymore), one might then feel like he/she has no place to go back to and would just feel lost.
Overall, it’s a great novel that definitely touched my heart !
I cannot believe this came from a 15 year old mind. The story is timeless. The two poems the main character wrote in the story are a bit precarious and impressive. I will not comment on the relationship with the older man. I didn’t suggest anything and I hope the author didn’t too. Anyway, this was totally worth my time. Loved it.
Even though this is a short novel by Kyi Aye and the first book of hers I've read, it feels quite revolutionary for the time it was published. In some ways, it reminds me of The Stranger by Albert Camus. 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️