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Names Have Been Changed
After ten years on the run around the world, Ophir—not her real name—comes clean in a confessional podcast about her life as a fugitive, charming countless fans even as she risks her freedom.
Ophir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.
Broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.
Names Have Been Changed is a stylish, fast-paced debut novel that reveals the complicated paths we take to build a life and a home. Filled with danger and twists, it’s ultimately a story about immigration and belonging—one unlike any you’ve seen before.
Ophir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.
Broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.
Names Have Been Changed is a stylish, fast-paced debut novel that reveals the complicated paths we take to build a life and a home. Filled with danger and twists, it’s ultimately a story about immigration and belonging—one unlike any you’ve seen before.
Audible Audio
First published June 23, 2026
About the author
Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
24 books71 followersYu-Mei Balasingamchow is the author of the novel, Names Have Been Changed, which will be published on June 23, 2026 by Tiny Reparations Books. Her short fiction has received a Pushcart Prize Special Mention, won the Mississippi Review Fiction Prize, and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
Yu-Mei is also the co-author of Singapore: A Biography, editor of How We Live Now: Stories of Daily Living, and co-editor of In Transit: An Anthology from Singapore on Airports and Air Travel. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University. Her writing has been supported by Ucross Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Elizabeth George Foundation, Sewanee Writers Conference, Ragdale Foundation and Vermont Studio Center, and in Singapore by the National Arts Council and Nanyang Technological University.
Originally from Singapore, Yu-Mei now lives in Boston. She is editor at Gaudy Boy, an independent press that brings literary works by authors of Asian heritage to an American audience, and teaches at GrubStreet.
Yu-Mei is also the co-author of Singapore: A Biography, editor of How We Live Now: Stories of Daily Living, and co-editor of In Transit: An Anthology from Singapore on Airports and Air Travel. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University. Her writing has been supported by Ucross Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Elizabeth George Foundation, Sewanee Writers Conference, Ragdale Foundation and Vermont Studio Center, and in Singapore by the National Arts Council and Nanyang Technological University.
Originally from Singapore, Yu-Mei now lives in Boston. She is editor at Gaudy Boy, an independent press that brings literary works by authors of Asian heritage to an American audience, and teaches at GrubStreet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
February 8, 2026
It seems like more books are being written incorporating podcasts, and I think that’s a fun trend.
This entire book is a podcast where every chapter is an episode.
I read this on my Kindle, but because of the format I have a feeling that it would be better enjoyed as an audiobook.
Ophir (not her real name) ends up as an accomplice in a money laundering scheme.
Rather than be arrested in Singapore, she decides to flee.
I don’t travel nearly as much as I used to, and I loved how this book took me from Singapore, to Bangkok, to Tokyo, to London, and to Colorado.
There are a multitude of interesting characters in each place, so there are a lot of names to remember throughout the book.
Some crazy things happen in the middle of the book, but I suppose that if I were a fugitive with a fake passport in countries that I wasn’t familiar with, I’d also do whatever I had do to survive.
I devoured this entertaining debut novel in a day and a half and hope that it gets more buzz!
Pub date: June 23, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with this eARC to review!
This entire book is a podcast where every chapter is an episode.
I read this on my Kindle, but because of the format I have a feeling that it would be better enjoyed as an audiobook.
Ophir (not her real name) ends up as an accomplice in a money laundering scheme.
Rather than be arrested in Singapore, she decides to flee.
I don’t travel nearly as much as I used to, and I loved how this book took me from Singapore, to Bangkok, to Tokyo, to London, and to Colorado.
There are a multitude of interesting characters in each place, so there are a lot of names to remember throughout the book.
Some crazy things happen in the middle of the book, but I suppose that if I were a fugitive with a fake passport in countries that I wasn’t familiar with, I’d also do whatever I had do to survive.
I devoured this entertaining debut novel in a day and a half and hope that it gets more buzz!
Pub date: June 23, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with this eARC to review!
July 13, 2026
First five star read of the month!! I hate that I find it difficult to talk about books I love because this was such a beautiful novel on cultural ties, assimilation and figuring out where you belong all tied into this introspective podcast format of a fugitive telling her crimes and decade of survival on the run.
I read it via audiobook and it was so amazing, the narrator is easily one of my faves now.
I read it via audiobook and it was so amazing, the narrator is easily one of my faves now.
April 24, 2026
4.25✨This podcast-based mystery thriller was both engaging and engrossing. From page one to the final chapter, our protagonist was completely unlikable, but I couldn't get enough of her! She broke all the rules (even when she wasn't trying to), yet for some reason, I was still rooting for her through every chapter of her confessional podcast as she broadcast through the COVID lockdown.
I went in completely blind with zero expectations, and this debut novel really blew me away. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and how each chapter was set as a podcast episode. I knew I'd find mystery within this book but was pleasantly surprised by a story about love and family and honor.
Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the advanced reader copy.
I went in completely blind with zero expectations, and this debut novel really blew me away. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and how each chapter was set as a podcast episode. I knew I'd find mystery within this book but was pleasantly surprised by a story about love and family and honor.
Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the advanced reader copy.
June 23, 2026
There is a very specific kind of chaos required to be on the run from the law and still think, you know what this situation needs, a podcast. Not a therapist. Not a lawyer. A microphone. And honestly, that level of delusion is exactly why I couldn’t look away.
Names Have Been Changed is Ophir, which is not her real name, sitting us down and saying, I have committed multiple crimes and made several questionable life choices, and you’re going to hear about all of them in excruciating emotional detail. What starts as a petty crime in Singapore spirals into a full international fugitive situation, and suddenly she’s bouncing across countries with fake passports, new identities, and the kind of stress that would give me hives within 48 hours.
And the format? It works. It really works, until it doesn’t. The whole story unfolds like a confessional podcast, each chapter an episode, and when it’s hitting, it feels like you’re eavesdropping on something a little too honest. She’s funny in that dry, slightly defensive way, like she’s preemptively arguing with your judgment. You get these sharp observations about class, identity, and survival, and then she’ll casually drop something deeply sad about her family and you’re like, oh, okay, I guess I’m having feelings now.
Ophir herself is not here to be likable, and I respect that. She’s prickly, impulsive, sometimes exhausting, and makes decisions that had me pausing like I could physically stop her through the page. But she’s also compelling in that way where you want to understand her even when you don’t agree with her. Watching her slip between identities, especially as someone mixed-race who can move through different spaces, is one of the most interesting parts of the book. It’s not just survival, it’s performance, and she’s constantly rewriting herself depending on who’s watching.
The emotional core sneaks up on you. This isn’t really a cat-and-mouse thriller, even though it pretends to be one at first. It’s about what happens when you leave home and then realize you can’t go back, not just physically, but emotionally. There’s this low-level ache running through everything, this sense that no matter where she lands, she’s just passing through. The people she meets, other outsiders, other people building lives out of scraps, start to feel like the closest thing she has to stability, and those moments hit harder than any of the crime elements.
But here’s where I started to lose my grip a little. The podcast style leans so hard into stream-of-consciousness that it occasionally forgets to be a story. It drifts. It loops. It introduces people and places like you should already know them, and I found myself backtracking more than once like, wait, who is this and why are we emotionally invested. The pacing gets slippery, especially in the middle, where it feels less like momentum and more like wandering.
Also, and I need this to be understood, this book is practically begging to be an audiobook. You can feel it in your bones. The voice, the rhythm, the confessional tone, it all wants to be heard. Reading it is good, but there’s a version of this that is great, and it lives in someone’s headphones at 1.5x speed while they stare at the ceiling contemplating their life.
The ending is not interested in giving you closure. It’s not tidy, it’s not particularly satisfying in a traditional sense, and it definitely does not hold your hand. But it feels right for Ophir, which is almost more frustrating because you can see exactly why it had to end that way. It’s one of those endings that makes you sit there for a second like, okay, I get it… I just don’t have to like it.
This is a solid 3.5 star read for me. It’s sharp, ambitious, and doing something genuinely interesting with voice and structure, even if it occasionally disappears into its own head. I wasn’t always enjoying the ride, but I was always aware of it, and sometimes that’s the more impressive trick.
Whodunity Award: For Convincing Me That Anyone With a Podcast Might Secretly Be on the Run
Huge thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for handing me this ARC and letting me spiral internationally without leaving my couch.
Names Have Been Changed is Ophir, which is not her real name, sitting us down and saying, I have committed multiple crimes and made several questionable life choices, and you’re going to hear about all of them in excruciating emotional detail. What starts as a petty crime in Singapore spirals into a full international fugitive situation, and suddenly she’s bouncing across countries with fake passports, new identities, and the kind of stress that would give me hives within 48 hours.
And the format? It works. It really works, until it doesn’t. The whole story unfolds like a confessional podcast, each chapter an episode, and when it’s hitting, it feels like you’re eavesdropping on something a little too honest. She’s funny in that dry, slightly defensive way, like she’s preemptively arguing with your judgment. You get these sharp observations about class, identity, and survival, and then she’ll casually drop something deeply sad about her family and you’re like, oh, okay, I guess I’m having feelings now.
Ophir herself is not here to be likable, and I respect that. She’s prickly, impulsive, sometimes exhausting, and makes decisions that had me pausing like I could physically stop her through the page. But she’s also compelling in that way where you want to understand her even when you don’t agree with her. Watching her slip between identities, especially as someone mixed-race who can move through different spaces, is one of the most interesting parts of the book. It’s not just survival, it’s performance, and she’s constantly rewriting herself depending on who’s watching.
The emotional core sneaks up on you. This isn’t really a cat-and-mouse thriller, even though it pretends to be one at first. It’s about what happens when you leave home and then realize you can’t go back, not just physically, but emotionally. There’s this low-level ache running through everything, this sense that no matter where she lands, she’s just passing through. The people she meets, other outsiders, other people building lives out of scraps, start to feel like the closest thing she has to stability, and those moments hit harder than any of the crime elements.
But here’s where I started to lose my grip a little. The podcast style leans so hard into stream-of-consciousness that it occasionally forgets to be a story. It drifts. It loops. It introduces people and places like you should already know them, and I found myself backtracking more than once like, wait, who is this and why are we emotionally invested. The pacing gets slippery, especially in the middle, where it feels less like momentum and more like wandering.
Also, and I need this to be understood, this book is practically begging to be an audiobook. You can feel it in your bones. The voice, the rhythm, the confessional tone, it all wants to be heard. Reading it is good, but there’s a version of this that is great, and it lives in someone’s headphones at 1.5x speed while they stare at the ceiling contemplating their life.
The ending is not interested in giving you closure. It’s not tidy, it’s not particularly satisfying in a traditional sense, and it definitely does not hold your hand. But it feels right for Ophir, which is almost more frustrating because you can see exactly why it had to end that way. It’s one of those endings that makes you sit there for a second like, okay, I get it… I just don’t have to like it.
This is a solid 3.5 star read for me. It’s sharp, ambitious, and doing something genuinely interesting with voice and structure, even if it occasionally disappears into its own head. I wasn’t always enjoying the ride, but I was always aware of it, and sometimes that’s the more impressive trick.
Whodunity Award: For Convincing Me That Anyone With a Podcast Might Secretly Be on the Run
Huge thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for handing me this ARC and letting me spiral internationally without leaving my couch.
July 26, 2026
The narrative takes the form of a podcast transcript of a woman's tell-all after ten years of being on the run from the Singapore police. She's terrified of them and of going jail but that part was a little ??? because girl, you obviously escaped them no problem on your first try and managed to stay un-caught for a decade so either the SG police isn't that good or you're a natural-born fugitive, have a little more confidence in your abilities!! Anyway, this all started because our unnamed narrator, alias Ophir, got roped into a money laundering scam by her friend. When it went bust, she skipped town and changed her name and passport with every new location. Pitbull needs to step aside because we have a new Mr Worldwide. Her story hurts at times, especially when she's homesick or regretting how a relationship ended, and I found myself rooting for her eventual happiness. I won't spoil the story because it's the finding out that's most enjoyable. I also liked that there are queer characters everywhere in this book.
July 6, 2026
I enjoyed reading the descriptions of Singapore and there were some suspenseful parts! I would’ve loved to hear all the languages and accents the main character did, which makes me think this would’ve been better as an audiobook. The main character was not my cup of tea and I didn’t like most of her decisions but it was a unique story and makes me want to read more books about fugitives and fake passports!
August 10, 2026
3.5 I was hoping for more out of this book than it was. The premise sounded promising but it just didn’t deliver in that way. Also, the main character was quite annoying to me
August 4, 2026
A thrilling, fast paced read with a funny and unreliable narrator. I loved the podcast episode chapters and the way the narrator used them to work through all that she’d gone through.
October 20, 2026
This was one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. Super fun concept and light and fast read. Lobsters book club!
August 9, 2026
This book was fun, written well, and the narration was *chef’s kiss*. It really can make or break a book, but the different languages, accents, and characters throughout were amazing and I hope the author also felt that the narrator did it justice.
I honestly don’t know how this book is not more popular!! It’s ordinary enough yet entertaining and creative and everything I love in a story. A+ to this author and A+ to this narrator.
I honestly don’t know how this book is not more popular!! It’s ordinary enough yet entertaining and creative and everything I love in a story. A+ to this author and A+ to this narrator.
August 9, 2026
I’m so frustrated by the ending. Or maybe I’m frustrated with the main character’s choice at the end? lol
October 4, 2026
I definitely did not expect to see a string of the *most* vulgar colloquial curse words in Tamil, Hokkien, Cantonese and Malay all in a sentence, in an international title. I loved it! I loved reading full sentences in Malay with no further explanations, and Singlish on full display. It’s definitely a pet peeve of mine when authors try to dilute this very uniquely Singaporean identity while trying to cash in on it. None of that here! Reading this felt very much like an insider experience. Some of these references felt so local to Singapore that I wonder how it would translate to a different audience.
When I first read the synopsis I thought this was going to be a crime thriller, but it actually turned out to be more of an autobiographical confession written in a podcast format. This format always feels a little more challenging to read though. To me, the writing could be tighter! With all the unique accents and ramblings, I think this would be much more enjoyable as an audiobook (and I think the other reviews based on the audiobook seem to suggest that too!) :-)
When I first read the synopsis I thought this was going to be a crime thriller, but it actually turned out to be more of an autobiographical confession written in a podcast format. This format always feels a little more challenging to read though. To me, the writing could be tighter! With all the unique accents and ramblings, I think this would be much more enjoyable as an audiobook (and I think the other reviews based on the audiobook seem to suggest that too!) :-)
September 11, 2026
I didn’t think I was going to like this after the first chapter or two but ended up really enjoying it! The summary makes it sound like a true crime novel but I found it to be more of an analysis and dive into various Asian cultures and the experience of someone trying to survive while on the run.
This is one that’s probably great as an audiobook since this book reads like a podcast (each chapter is an episode) and the narrator references doing different accents and speaks in Singlish throughout.
This is one that’s probably great as an audiobook since this book reads like a podcast (each chapter is an episode) and the narrator references doing different accents and speaks in Singlish throughout.
July 26, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
This book is so well written, creative, dark, and cold... and I really enjoyed it
The main character is very unlikable and it's not her fault. Life has caused some hiccups for her and from birth, it seems she is in the wrong place and the wrong time... and then escapes!!! The book is her running for a decade and her experiences are wild and crazy.... and I could not put this down.
As strange as her life is, each one is wrapped up as an adventure.
It is a worthwhile read.
This book is so well written, creative, dark, and cold... and I really enjoyed it
The main character is very unlikable and it's not her fault. Life has caused some hiccups for her and from birth, it seems she is in the wrong place and the wrong time... and then escapes!!! The book is her running for a decade and her experiences are wild and crazy.... and I could not put this down.
As strange as her life is, each one is wrapped up as an adventure.
It is a worthwhile read.
July 28, 2026
Looking for something a little different? NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED is written as a confessional podcast, in which a Singaporean woman who's changed her identity (many times) tells her story of being on the run.
This one had a little bit of everything, anchored by an engaging, multi-dimensional main character. The audiobook is narrated by Mirai and was a great choice, given that the book is written as if Ophir (not her real name) is speaking to the reader. Mirai really helped bring the story alive for me.
Thank you to PRH Audio for a free audio copy of this title.
This one had a little bit of everything, anchored by an engaging, multi-dimensional main character. The audiobook is narrated by Mirai and was a great choice, given that the book is written as if Ophir (not her real name) is speaking to the reader. Mirai really helped bring the story alive for me.
Thank you to PRH Audio for a free audio copy of this title.
2026
February 25, 2026📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books
October 2, 2026
the queerness (and how casual it was in asserting the characters as such) was great but i found the main protag a lil too insufferable; was skimming tbh near the end to see how it wraps up
August 14, 2026
This book immediately captured my attention because it starts as a crime thriller. As the story progresses, it becomes a story about homesickness. I also love a book where I learn about another culture without feeling like that’s the point of the book (like Pachinko for Korea; this one is about Singapore). Highly recommend listening to this one as an audiobook. Language and accent come into play as themes and the voice actor is incredible.
May 5, 2026
Names Have Been Changed was not the story I expected and I'm still unsure as a whole how I feel about the story I thought I was going to get versus the way this story unfolded. The premise seemed gripping, a woman on the run after getting caught up in a money laundering scheme, trying to come to terms with the difficult decisions she had to make, feeling lost without a place to belong in the world, and deeply missing the culture of Singapore. I expected the story to be fast-paced, tense, and thrilling, which it was at certain moments, yet for the majority of this story we're just following along as Ophir recounts stories from her time in hiding through a podcast during the COVID shutdown and for the most part they came across rather mundane.
The strongest parts of the narrative for me were the stories Ophir shares of her family and the moments she feels a deep longing for home even though home certainly isn't perfect to her. There are these little pockets of longing for a place she thinks she can never go back to and having to come to terms with the fact memories are the closest she's going to get. This book is presented in the format of a podcast, so I'm not sure this lends as well to a written format and would be interested to know if the audiobook would provide a better experience. The tone of the writing is very matter of fact, holding little back as Ophir tells the brutally honest truth about what she has been up to which ends up reading as very raw and realistic.
I think a lot of people can relate to feeling out of place or being in a situation where they can't go back home or feel caught between two places. There were some really beautiful observations on culture, identity, and isolation. At times the narrative gets a little too bogged down by details and seems to ramble where I wanted it to pick up the pace and was hoping for more excitement or tension. I wanted to feel how high stakes Ophir's situation was but the story fell a little short in communicating how dangerous her situation was with a few exceptions.
If you like introspective novels with brutally honest narrators, have ever felt like it's hard to find your place in the world, or love to follow other people's stories on the internet I think you'll find something you like in Names Have Been Changed. For fans of Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg and Shanghailanders by Juli Min.
The strongest parts of the narrative for me were the stories Ophir shares of her family and the moments she feels a deep longing for home even though home certainly isn't perfect to her. There are these little pockets of longing for a place she thinks she can never go back to and having to come to terms with the fact memories are the closest she's going to get. This book is presented in the format of a podcast, so I'm not sure this lends as well to a written format and would be interested to know if the audiobook would provide a better experience. The tone of the writing is very matter of fact, holding little back as Ophir tells the brutally honest truth about what she has been up to which ends up reading as very raw and realistic.
I think a lot of people can relate to feeling out of place or being in a situation where they can't go back home or feel caught between two places. There were some really beautiful observations on culture, identity, and isolation. At times the narrative gets a little too bogged down by details and seems to ramble where I wanted it to pick up the pace and was hoping for more excitement or tension. I wanted to feel how high stakes Ophir's situation was but the story fell a little short in communicating how dangerous her situation was with a few exceptions.
If you like introspective novels with brutally honest narrators, have ever felt like it's hard to find your place in the world, or love to follow other people's stories on the internet I think you'll find something you like in Names Have Been Changed. For fans of Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg and Shanghailanders by Juli Min.
July 7, 2026
I was so disappointed with this one. I seem to have fallen into a run of books with fantastic premises that completely fail to deliver, and unfortunately Names Have Been Changed was another.
The novel follows “Ophir”, a Singaporean woman who has spent the last ten years on the run after becoming implicated in a money laundering scheme. Deciding it’s finally time to tell her side of the story, she launches a podcast to recount everything that led to her becoming one of Singapore’s most wanted.
Because each chapter is presented as an episode of the podcast, they’re considerably longer than I usually enjoy. That’s more of a personal preference than a criticism of the book itself, but I do think this format would work far better as an audiobook. There are several moments where Ophir explains Singaporean pronunciation or the way certain phrases are spoken, and those felt like they were crying out to be heard rather than read.
The biggest issue for me, though, was Ophir herself. I just never connected with her. There were moments where I sympathised with the losses she experiences and the devastating consequences of being separated from her family for so many years, but beyond that I found her difficult to invest in.
I also expected a much wilder story. Ophir builds up the extraordinary life she’s led while on the run, but whenever it seemed we were about to delve into the darker or more dangerous aspects, the narrative pulled back. She repeatedly alludes to having done things she isn’t proud of to survive but never really expands on them, which left me feeling short changed. There was one particularly tense encounter involving someone from her past that raised the stakes and made me want to carry on reading, but the momentum quickly faded after that series of events were concluded.
There were also moments that felt a little too self-aware for me. Lines such as “it’s my podcast and I’ll cry if I want to” (not quoted verbatim, just from memory! pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me further in, and the podcast framing occasionally tipped into feeling gimmicky.
One thing I did genuinely love was the sense of place. Balasingamchow brings Singapore vividly to life, and reading about its culture and everyday life from Ophir’s perspective was easily one of the highlights. It made me realise how little I knew about the country and left me wanting to learn more.
Overall, this was a frustrating read. The premise promised an engrossing story of life on the run, but the execution never quite found its bite. If anything, I think this is a novel that would benefit from being experienced only as an audiobook, where the podcast format could really come into its own.
The novel follows “Ophir”, a Singaporean woman who has spent the last ten years on the run after becoming implicated in a money laundering scheme. Deciding it’s finally time to tell her side of the story, she launches a podcast to recount everything that led to her becoming one of Singapore’s most wanted.
Because each chapter is presented as an episode of the podcast, they’re considerably longer than I usually enjoy. That’s more of a personal preference than a criticism of the book itself, but I do think this format would work far better as an audiobook. There are several moments where Ophir explains Singaporean pronunciation or the way certain phrases are spoken, and those felt like they were crying out to be heard rather than read.
The biggest issue for me, though, was Ophir herself. I just never connected with her. There were moments where I sympathised with the losses she experiences and the devastating consequences of being separated from her family for so many years, but beyond that I found her difficult to invest in.
I also expected a much wilder story. Ophir builds up the extraordinary life she’s led while on the run, but whenever it seemed we were about to delve into the darker or more dangerous aspects, the narrative pulled back. She repeatedly alludes to having done things she isn’t proud of to survive but never really expands on them, which left me feeling short changed. There was one particularly tense encounter involving someone from her past that raised the stakes and made me want to carry on reading, but the momentum quickly faded after that series of events were concluded.
There were also moments that felt a little too self-aware for me. Lines such as “it’s my podcast and I’ll cry if I want to” (not quoted verbatim, just from memory! pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me further in, and the podcast framing occasionally tipped into feeling gimmicky.
One thing I did genuinely love was the sense of place. Balasingamchow brings Singapore vividly to life, and reading about its culture and everyday life from Ophir’s perspective was easily one of the highlights. It made me realise how little I knew about the country and left me wanting to learn more.
Overall, this was a frustrating read. The premise promised an engrossing story of life on the run, but the execution never quite found its bite. If anything, I think this is a novel that would benefit from being experienced only as an audiobook, where the podcast format could really come into its own.
August 27, 2026
Not sure what the point of this story was. Unlikeable main character and pretty
Much everyone else was superficial.
Much everyone else was superficial.
May 1, 2026
I love love LOVED this!!!! Thank you SO MUCH Penguin Randomhouse for an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.
This book so perfectly sums up that feeling of longing for home through language. As our protagonist Ophir flees from place to place, changing accents and stories as she goes, the reader is invited to think about the micro dialects of our own spaces of belonging, and to imagine how horrifying and dispossessing it would feel to never get access to that place again. NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED is language within language. Ophirs Singaporean identity. Her family and ancestry. Her queer identity. I’ve always known it to be true, but this book did a great job of showing how the languages of our identities are portals into different worlds, ones that as a con artist, Ophir can enter and leave at will.
I couldn’t put this book down because it’s so ripe with PLACE. In a writing class, I once asked how to write travel narrative without it sounding like “then I went here/then I went here” and after reading this novel I see that the answer is lush description and astute observations about what makes a place a place. I felt like I was there with Ophir on her journeys. As I kept going I even started asking myself: “what will happen to us next?”
I’m certain there will be a lot of discussions about Ophir and her choices once this book comes out. Her motivation, to me at least, is clear, but I can see how people could get frustrated with her until the very end (which nope is not what you’re guessing!). Although trauma isn’t explicitly mentioned, Ophir is extremely guided by experiences and narratives she developed in childhood. This is another book I’d recommend for complex trauma folks btw!
An engaging travel narrative. A queer protagonist. Thoughtful reflections on immigration, belonging, language, and relationship.
You know it’s a good novel when I want MORE.
I want MORE episodes of Ophir. I’m so invested in what happens next.
This book so perfectly sums up that feeling of longing for home through language. As our protagonist Ophir flees from place to place, changing accents and stories as she goes, the reader is invited to think about the micro dialects of our own spaces of belonging, and to imagine how horrifying and dispossessing it would feel to never get access to that place again. NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED is language within language. Ophirs Singaporean identity. Her family and ancestry. Her queer identity. I’ve always known it to be true, but this book did a great job of showing how the languages of our identities are portals into different worlds, ones that as a con artist, Ophir can enter and leave at will.
I couldn’t put this book down because it’s so ripe with PLACE. In a writing class, I once asked how to write travel narrative without it sounding like “then I went here/then I went here” and after reading this novel I see that the answer is lush description and astute observations about what makes a place a place. I felt like I was there with Ophir on her journeys. As I kept going I even started asking myself: “what will happen to us next?”
I’m certain there will be a lot of discussions about Ophir and her choices once this book comes out. Her motivation, to me at least, is clear, but I can see how people could get frustrated with her until the very end (which nope is not what you’re guessing!). Although trauma isn’t explicitly mentioned, Ophir is extremely guided by experiences and narratives she developed in childhood. This is another book I’d recommend for complex trauma folks btw!
An engaging travel narrative. A queer protagonist. Thoughtful reflections on immigration, belonging, language, and relationship.
You know it’s a good novel when I want MORE.
I want MORE episodes of Ophir. I’m so invested in what happens next.
August 29, 2026
what knocked me off kilter was being made consciously aware that my reading/head voice doesn't take on a singaporean accent, despite being born and raised here; and because the book imitated a podcast, whenever she 'repeated' a bit of vernacular, i could hear the singlish so starkly that it brought me back home (fun!)
this was never intended to be a book about closure, despite the impression the confessionals initially gave (i'm 100% convinced that she contracted cabin fever and needed an outlet, so here we are!) but if we look at the way she reminisces, the way she continues moving forward, and at her every attempt of assimilation (past present, and future); if we look at her very questionable judgement, her fight-and-flight nature, and prickly, (almost) unapologetic character, this really was the only ending for her
this was never intended to be a book about closure, despite the impression the confessionals initially gave (i'm 100% convinced that she contracted cabin fever and needed an outlet, so here we are!) but if we look at the way she reminisces, the way she continues moving forward, and at her every attempt of assimilation (past present, and future); if we look at her very questionable judgement, her fight-and-flight nature, and prickly, (almost) unapologetic character, this really was the only ending for her
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
౨ৎ 4 stars ౨ৎ
thank you to netgalley for the e arc and tiny rep books for the physical copy 💌
this book was so good and i genuinely could not put it down ♡ every chapter being an episode from her podcast was such a fun format and kept me completely entertained the whole time.
honestly i would recommend experiencing this one on audio because i think the podcast style and all of the singaporean words would come across even better that way ✨
i really loved the writing and the overall concept, and i was invested from beginning to end. the only reason this wasn’t a higher rating for me was the ending. i was a little disappointed by the cliffhanger and would have loved a final chapter showing where she ended up years later instead.
overall such an addictive and unique read ♡📖
thank you to netgalley for the e arc and tiny rep books for the physical copy 💌
this book was so good and i genuinely could not put it down ♡ every chapter being an episode from her podcast was such a fun format and kept me completely entertained the whole time.
honestly i would recommend experiencing this one on audio because i think the podcast style and all of the singaporean words would come across even better that way ✨
i really loved the writing and the overall concept, and i was invested from beginning to end. the only reason this wasn’t a higher rating for me was the ending. i was a little disappointed by the cliffhanger and would have loved a final chapter showing where she ended up years later instead.
overall such an addictive and unique read ♡📖
July 13, 2026
Maybe 2.5⭐️. I kept thinking the story would get better, more exciting, etc. It didn’t. Maybe if you know the culture better, it would hit harder. But it was continuously meh. Even down to the ending.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In Indonesian, there is a term called merantau, which refers to the state of leaving one’s place of origin to seek opportunity elsewhere - often with the expectation of return, but without the guarantee of belonging. Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow explores this idea of merantau alongside themes of migration, diaspora, and identity, all woven into a globe-trotting narrative. Crucially, the novel interrogates what happens when merantau becomes permanent; when leaving transforms from a temporary condition into a defining state of displacement.
This book shares several similarities with Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, beginning with its premise. The novel’s protagonist, Ophir (one of her many aliases), becomes involved in a money-laundering scheme and faces prison time in her native Singapore. Before she can be apprehended and sentenced, she flees the country, setting off a chain of events centered on her life as a fugitive. While Catch Me If You Can is more action-driven - with the constant tension of Leonardo DiCaprio being pursued by Tom Hanks’s character - Names Have Been Changed turns inward. The novel focuses on Ophir’s emotional landscape: her regrets, fractured sense of identity, and longing for home and connection become the primary sources of conflict.
Ophir is a complex and compelling character. Through Balasingamchow’s stylistic choice of framing the narrative as retrospective podcast recordings, readers are invited to both observe and analyze her inner psyche as she drifts across the world - from working as a bargirl in Japan to backpacking in Peru, from laboring in a Chinese restaurant in London to serving as a caregiver in Denver. As Ophir develops, she gradually learns to trust others and build her own network of support. From the Golden Pearl restaurant owner, to a politically exiled doctor in London, to a cybersecurity expert in Denver, and finally to her brother - her lifelong confidant - these characters illustrate a central idea: home is not a place, but a people. Many of these individuals are themselves outsiders (ethnic minorities or queer) and their presence reinforces the novel’s message that even in a precarious and distrustful world, genuine kindness persists.
I especially appreciated the emotional depth Balasingamchow brings to her characters. Ophir is vibrant and easy to root for, and the supporting cast is equally well-developed. Each character carries distinct struggles: a high-society Singaporean rebelling against expectations by becoming a bargirl; a childhood friend navigating the tensions of marriage and sexuality; a daughter grappling with how best to care for her ailing mother. These narratives function as case studies in identity, expectation, and human connection. The maturity of these portrayals is particularly impressive given that this is Balasingamchow’s debut novel.
The prose, however, takes some time getting used to (trust me, power through that first chapter!) Each chapter reads like a full podcast transcript, often featuring extended passages of stream-of-consciousness narration that may not appeal to all readers. While I found this stylistic choice original and thematically appropriate, it can initially make the plot hard to follow. That said, the approach ultimately succeeds in capturing the way people naturally recount their lives: fragmented, reflective, and nonlinear.
Although Names Have Been Changed spans numerous countries and settings, it ultimately centers on the emotional consequences of merantau. Traditionally, merantau implies leaving with the possibility of return, but Ophir’s journey disrupts this - her exile is forced, and return is no longer viable. In this way, her experience begins to resemble hiraeth, a longing for a home that is no longer accessible or no longer exists as it once did.
The novel suggests these ideas exist on a continuum: what begins as movement (merantau) becomes longing (hiraeth). Ophir does not just miss Singapore, but a version of it (and of herself) that has been irreversibly changed. As a result, home becomes less a place and more something shaped by memory, identity, and the people she carries with her.
Thank you Dutton for providing this advanced review copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This book shares several similarities with Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, beginning with its premise. The novel’s protagonist, Ophir (one of her many aliases), becomes involved in a money-laundering scheme and faces prison time in her native Singapore. Before she can be apprehended and sentenced, she flees the country, setting off a chain of events centered on her life as a fugitive. While Catch Me If You Can is more action-driven - with the constant tension of Leonardo DiCaprio being pursued by Tom Hanks’s character - Names Have Been Changed turns inward. The novel focuses on Ophir’s emotional landscape: her regrets, fractured sense of identity, and longing for home and connection become the primary sources of conflict.
Ophir is a complex and compelling character. Through Balasingamchow’s stylistic choice of framing the narrative as retrospective podcast recordings, readers are invited to both observe and analyze her inner psyche as she drifts across the world - from working as a bargirl in Japan to backpacking in Peru, from laboring in a Chinese restaurant in London to serving as a caregiver in Denver. As Ophir develops, she gradually learns to trust others and build her own network of support. From the Golden Pearl restaurant owner, to a politically exiled doctor in London, to a cybersecurity expert in Denver, and finally to her brother - her lifelong confidant - these characters illustrate a central idea: home is not a place, but a people. Many of these individuals are themselves outsiders (ethnic minorities or queer) and their presence reinforces the novel’s message that even in a precarious and distrustful world, genuine kindness persists.
I especially appreciated the emotional depth Balasingamchow brings to her characters. Ophir is vibrant and easy to root for, and the supporting cast is equally well-developed. Each character carries distinct struggles: a high-society Singaporean rebelling against expectations by becoming a bargirl; a childhood friend navigating the tensions of marriage and sexuality; a daughter grappling with how best to care for her ailing mother. These narratives function as case studies in identity, expectation, and human connection. The maturity of these portrayals is particularly impressive given that this is Balasingamchow’s debut novel.
The prose, however, takes some time getting used to (trust me, power through that first chapter!) Each chapter reads like a full podcast transcript, often featuring extended passages of stream-of-consciousness narration that may not appeal to all readers. While I found this stylistic choice original and thematically appropriate, it can initially make the plot hard to follow. That said, the approach ultimately succeeds in capturing the way people naturally recount their lives: fragmented, reflective, and nonlinear.
Although Names Have Been Changed spans numerous countries and settings, it ultimately centers on the emotional consequences of merantau. Traditionally, merantau implies leaving with the possibility of return, but Ophir’s journey disrupts this - her exile is forced, and return is no longer viable. In this way, her experience begins to resemble hiraeth, a longing for a home that is no longer accessible or no longer exists as it once did.
The novel suggests these ideas exist on a continuum: what begins as movement (merantau) becomes longing (hiraeth). Ophir does not just miss Singapore, but a version of it (and of herself) that has been irreversibly changed. As a result, home becomes less a place and more something shaped by memory, identity, and the people she carries with her.
Thank you Dutton for providing this advanced review copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A riveting yet thought-provoking novel in the vein of Catch Me If You Can, Names Have Been Changed took that action-packed movie and gave it an introspective turn. Focusing more on the internal feelings of our complex, unlikeable, and oh so very unreliable narrator, the globe-hopping account of this morally gray anti-heroine was a truly unforgettable read. You see, the entire book was written in a retrospective podcast-based format as she confessed her exploits while running from the authorities after committing crime after crime. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t really a thriller at heart. More literary fiction with a suspense-slash-crime fiction vibe, the edge-of-your-seat feel and waiting-to-be-solved mystery were both mostly missing for me. Instead, it was a powerful critique of culture, identity, migration, belonging, and the true cost of freedom—all of which made it into a perfect book club selection.
So I’m sure you’re asking what made me fall for this debut novel considering how different it was from what I was expecting. Thanks to cliffhanger chapters, emotional depth, and plenty of secrets, my mind churned away as I followed this memorable character all over the world. A cat-and-mouse fugitive story that leaned more on the fears, hopes, and regrets of the unlikeable yet root-for-able narrator, it was everything I love about literary fiction. After all, this original queer coming-of-age story mixed flawlessly with a provocative—and evocative—tale of immigration. Perfect for fans of Jean Kwok or Laila Lalami, I highly recommend this stunning new novel. After all, despite the fact that it was somewhat slower than I was expecting, the revelation that home is who you surround yourself with and not a specific place hit me hard. Bravo, Ms. Balasingamchow, it was an utter home run. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Ophir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.
Broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.
Thank you Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, Tiny Reparations Books, and Dutton Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: June 23, 2026
Content warning: murder, death, homophobia, grief, gaslighting, racism, sexual content
So I’m sure you’re asking what made me fall for this debut novel considering how different it was from what I was expecting. Thanks to cliffhanger chapters, emotional depth, and plenty of secrets, my mind churned away as I followed this memorable character all over the world. A cat-and-mouse fugitive story that leaned more on the fears, hopes, and regrets of the unlikeable yet root-for-able narrator, it was everything I love about literary fiction. After all, this original queer coming-of-age story mixed flawlessly with a provocative—and evocative—tale of immigration. Perfect for fans of Jean Kwok or Laila Lalami, I highly recommend this stunning new novel. After all, despite the fact that it was somewhat slower than I was expecting, the revelation that home is who you surround yourself with and not a specific place hit me hard. Bravo, Ms. Balasingamchow, it was an utter home run. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Ophir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.
Broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.
Thank you Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, Tiny Reparations Books, and Dutton Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: June 23, 2026
Content warning: murder, death, homophobia, grief, gaslighting, racism, sexual content
June 26, 2026
If I weren't who I am, I would probably only give this 4 stars as a book. But, like Yu-Mei, I am what we call an "expat Singaporean" - in fact I met her once because of this shared identity - and this was very much in my wheelhouse, a love letter to a Singapore that lives in our hearts, even if it doesn't exist in reality. Of course, she (presumably) and I aren't like Ophir, the pseudonymic narrator of this book - we can go home whenever we want.
The Singaporean notes are extremely authentic. The thing about # "hex", which comes up several times - I myself had such an interaction when I tried to give my Singapore address to a bank when I first signed up for an account in the US. The bank employee looked like I was trying to hex her. The one note that didn't ring true for me was extremely small and maybe it was just my memory - I don't remember the original Parent Trap being on TV all the time when I was a kid!! (And that was back when we only had 3-5 channels, so it was hard to miss stuff. But maybe I just wasn't watching at the right hours.) My Malay is practically non-existent, so I had to Google Translate a lot of it, but what I did understand checks out. Ditto with the Hokkien (I do know the swear words though!).
Overall it's difficult to categorise this book. I guess I would say "crime fiction" or "contemporary fiction". I don't think it quite gets to the level of a thriller.
Did I like the ending?
So - 5* if you're like me.
----
ETA: I am EXTREMELY curious as to whether they'll be able to pull off an audiobook version of this. It's begging for an audiobook since it's just a podcast transcript. It has to be a Singaporean reading it for sure.
The Singaporean notes are extremely authentic. The thing about # "hex", which comes up several times - I myself had such an interaction when I tried to give my Singapore address to a bank when I first signed up for an account in the US. The bank employee looked like I was trying to hex her. The one note that didn't ring true for me was extremely small and maybe it was just my memory - I don't remember the original Parent Trap being on TV all the time when I was a kid!! (And that was back when we only had 3-5 channels, so it was hard to miss stuff. But maybe I just wasn't watching at the right hours.) My Malay is practically non-existent, so I had to Google Translate a lot of it, but what I did understand checks out. Ditto with the Hokkien (I do know the swear words though!).
Overall it's difficult to categorise this book. I guess I would say "crime fiction" or "contemporary fiction". I don't think it quite gets to the level of a thriller.
Did I like the ending?
So - 5* if you're like me.
----
ETA: I am EXTREMELY curious as to whether they'll be able to pull off an audiobook version of this. It's begging for an audiobook since it's just a podcast transcript. It has to be a Singaporean reading it for sure.
June 13, 2026
Thank you to Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
So begins Yu-Mei Balasingamchow’s incredible debut NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED, which introduces one of the most unique and memorable protagonists I have read this year. This story of a Singaporean woman who is on the run for being wanted for a crime that she was inadvertently mixed up with is a wild premise that is somehow tempered into an engaging exploration of homesickness, belonging, identity, and family.
The premise gives Catch Me If You Can vibes, but I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller. “Ophir” (not her real name, just the nickname she’s chosen) herself says that she is not trying to give a play-by-play of all her global (mis)adventures. Framed as podcast episodes, Ophir’s narration is pulpy, conversational, and propulsive. There are some big, shocking events that are built up well, yes. However, I’d say that the main thing the story focuses on is that ineffable longing for home—both how that longing sustains and drives us, and yet misleads us at times into believing that’s what we want, what will solve all our problems.
Ophir’s longing for Singapore portrays the small city-country in all its multiplicities and contradictions. It’s a heady blend of cultures, ethnicities, languages, and classes. That combination produces a wide range of people, each with their own desires, values, and imperfections. Although Ophir spends very little time in the book actually in Singapore itself, her continued encounters with Singaporeans all over the world form the core of the story. Is Ophir actually longing for her physical home, or home in the company of other Singaporeans? What if the reality of one’s home or community doesn’t live up to the ideals in our memories or imagination?
The story moves along at a fairly quick pace, despite its introspective moments, thanks to the careful use of foreshadowing and cliffhanger chapter endings. All of this leads to a wild ending that will keep you guessing until the very last page, and continue thinking about Ophir’s decisions long after it’s ended.
NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED develops an exceptionally memorable narratorial voice, and a story that straddles the boundaries of multiple genres. I was super impressed and engrossed. Recommended for lovers of character-driven stories, (more) propulsive writing, and themes of home and belonging!
“My friend Tina says there are newer versions [of the Singaporean passport] now, with more high-tech wizardry. I haven’t seen one, I wouldn’t know. I sold mine in Bangkok for three thousand dollars and a discount on a forged Hong Kong passport.”
So begins Yu-Mei Balasingamchow’s incredible debut NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED, which introduces one of the most unique and memorable protagonists I have read this year. This story of a Singaporean woman who is on the run for being wanted for a crime that she was inadvertently mixed up with is a wild premise that is somehow tempered into an engaging exploration of homesickness, belonging, identity, and family.
The premise gives Catch Me If You Can vibes, but I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller. “Ophir” (not her real name, just the nickname she’s chosen) herself says that she is not trying to give a play-by-play of all her global (mis)adventures. Framed as podcast episodes, Ophir’s narration is pulpy, conversational, and propulsive. There are some big, shocking events that are built up well, yes. However, I’d say that the main thing the story focuses on is that ineffable longing for home—both how that longing sustains and drives us, and yet misleads us at times into believing that’s what we want, what will solve all our problems.
Ophir’s longing for Singapore portrays the small city-country in all its multiplicities and contradictions. It’s a heady blend of cultures, ethnicities, languages, and classes. That combination produces a wide range of people, each with their own desires, values, and imperfections. Although Ophir spends very little time in the book actually in Singapore itself, her continued encounters with Singaporeans all over the world form the core of the story. Is Ophir actually longing for her physical home, or home in the company of other Singaporeans? What if the reality of one’s home or community doesn’t live up to the ideals in our memories or imagination?
The story moves along at a fairly quick pace, despite its introspective moments, thanks to the careful use of foreshadowing and cliffhanger chapter endings. All of this leads to a wild ending that will keep you guessing until the very last page, and continue thinking about Ophir’s decisions long after it’s ended.
NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED develops an exceptionally memorable narratorial voice, and a story that straddles the boundaries of multiple genres. I was super impressed and engrossed. Recommended for lovers of character-driven stories, (more) propulsive writing, and themes of home and belonging!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book didn’t turn out exactly how I expected – it’s far less intense than most books tagged as thrillers and mysteries, and I almost feel like contemporary fiction or literary fiction is really where this book belongs. There’s never a mystery to solve, and while a lot of things happen, the nature of them being told in a podcast retrospectively means you never really feel like you’re sitting on the edge of your seat worrying about what will happen next.
However, I attribute this to the fact I was reading this on Kindle. This book is absolutely meant for audiobook, since it’s written with each chapter as an episode, and I probably would’ve felt more tension from the inflections in the narrarator’s voice, the pauses in the right moments, things like this. Since I am not from Singapore, it was hard for me while reading to really grasp some of the things she said about how words were pronounced, how she was saying a quote “in someone’s voice”, things like this.
That said, I did enjoy reading this book and I actually think I enjoyed it more than I expected. What worked for me in this book is how much we get to see and learn about so many different cultures. I think this is why I personally wouldn’t classify this book as a thriller at all. The interpersonal relationships, the longing for home, the tales of blending in to new cultures, stories about her family, the deep self-hatred the narrator has because she blames herself for her mother’s death… these are the parts of the book that really shine.
If you’re going into this book expecting a fast paced thriller or a twisty mystery, you will be disappointed. But if you prefer something more introspective and more of a character study, definitely pick this one up. And while I didn’t listen to the audiobook, I wish I had since this book is truly meant for it.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC!
However, I attribute this to the fact I was reading this on Kindle. This book is absolutely meant for audiobook, since it’s written with each chapter as an episode, and I probably would’ve felt more tension from the inflections in the narrarator’s voice, the pauses in the right moments, things like this. Since I am not from Singapore, it was hard for me while reading to really grasp some of the things she said about how words were pronounced, how she was saying a quote “in someone’s voice”, things like this.
That said, I did enjoy reading this book and I actually think I enjoyed it more than I expected. What worked for me in this book is how much we get to see and learn about so many different cultures. I think this is why I personally wouldn’t classify this book as a thriller at all. The interpersonal relationships, the longing for home, the tales of blending in to new cultures, stories about her family, the deep self-hatred the narrator has because she blames herself for her mother’s death… these are the parts of the book that really shine.
If you’re going into this book expecting a fast paced thriller or a twisty mystery, you will be disappointed. But if you prefer something more introspective and more of a character study, definitely pick this one up. And while I didn’t listen to the audiobook, I wish I had since this book is truly meant for it.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC!
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