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 !