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A Strange Case of Erasure
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September 20, 2026Buku karya penulis perempuan yang menjadi salah satu finalis Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2026 dan (segera) diterbitkan di Indonesia oleh Elex.
A Strange Case of Erasure bercerita tentang Seok Lin, seorang ibu rumah tangga (Stay at Home Mom) dengan dua anak, yang merasa burn out dengan segala rutinitas kehidupan dan perlahan kehilangan dirinya. Menariknya, kehilangan diri ini tampak secara fisik; dimulai dari kehilangan jari kaki, hingga anggota tubuh lainnya. Bagaimana Seok Lin bisa kembali utuh sebagai dirinya sendiri?
Sebagai ibu-ibu urban Indonesia, rasanya saya bisa relate 100% dengan Seok Lin; perasaannya dan segala masalahnya. Jaclyn Lim menceritakan kehidupan ibu di Singapura dengan detail, mulai dari kelelahan kecil yang menumpuk, ketidakmampuan untuk percaya dan mendelegasikan tugas harian, hingga dilema para ibu kota besar baik yang bekerja kantoran maupun yang memilih resign.
Saya suka bagaimana novel ini berfokus kepada identitas seorang ibu, sekalipun dengan set privilese tertentu. Tidak ada drama dengan pasangan dan keluarga yang berlebihan, sehingga pergulatan internalnya dapat dieksplorasi dengan lebih mendalam.
A Strange Case of Erasure bercerita tentang Seok Lin, seorang ibu rumah tangga (Stay at Home Mom) dengan dua anak, yang merasa burn out dengan segala rutinitas kehidupan dan perlahan kehilangan dirinya. Menariknya, kehilangan diri ini tampak secara fisik; dimulai dari kehilangan jari kaki, hingga anggota tubuh lainnya. Bagaimana Seok Lin bisa kembali utuh sebagai dirinya sendiri?
Sebagai ibu-ibu urban Indonesia, rasanya saya bisa relate 100% dengan Seok Lin; perasaannya dan segala masalahnya. Jaclyn Lim menceritakan kehidupan ibu di Singapura dengan detail, mulai dari kelelahan kecil yang menumpuk, ketidakmampuan untuk percaya dan mendelegasikan tugas harian, hingga dilema para ibu kota besar baik yang bekerja kantoran maupun yang memilih resign.
Saya suka bagaimana novel ini berfokus kepada identitas seorang ibu, sekalipun dengan set privilese tertentu. Tidak ada drama dengan pasangan dan keluarga yang berlebihan, sehingga pergulatan internalnya dapat dieksplorasi dengan lebih mendalam.
August 31, 2026
4.8 stars. There is so much I have to say about this book, about the social commentary, growth arc of Seok Lin, crafting of the PIAD condition, and so much more, so I’ll be back to revise this review!!
This story follows Seok Lin, who quit her job to permanently look after her two children, aka a stay-at-home mother (SAHM). It captures the monotonous drone of her daily chores and tasks; preparing food for her son, trying to get him to school on time, the inevitable argument that ensues when he refuses to eat aforementioned food, and ultimately her resignation, losing both the battle and the war as she prepares a new sandwich *and* they’re late for childcare. But her list of responsibilities doesn’t stop after her children are at school. Like a migraine that never fully goes away, Seok Lin checks item after item off her never-ending to-do list: there are necessities to buy but also prices to compare, clothes to wash and dry and fold, meals to cook and pack and wash up.
One day, she finds parts of her flickering, then disappearing completely, which she later finds out is Progressive Identity Attenuation Disorder (PIAD), aka Erasure. But after she overcomes her initial shock, she’s more tired and inconvenienced by this condition than motivated to do something about her health. After all, time doesn’t stop for anyone. Even as she tries to get a polyclinic appointment, she has to book in advance and work around the children’s schedules, and at the end of the day that’s just too much work. What I appreciated was that Seok Lin did genuinely try, she didn’t just brush her health away, but there was really no way to resolve the issue without making lots of changes. And even after she started recovering, Erasure would hit her at the worst possible timings because she’s simply too overwhelmed.
Because besides lifestyle changes and doing things purely for herself like picking up hobbies, Seok Lin also had to overcome her mental barrier of the endless mom-guilt she felt. Perpetrated by the wealth of content online yelling at her on what exactly she should, should not, and DEFINITELY CANNOT! do with her children, yet juxtaposed with the incessantly rising cost of groceries, tuition, and living, Seok Lin had so many voices in her head arguing and also shaming her, no matter her choices. It’s also made worse by the social perception of SAHMs having it easy, being so privileged to spend time with their children and also do nothing at all otherwise. Jaclyn breaks down these stereotypes by detailing the loss of self and agency; having no work meant no money of her own, no pride or sense of accomplishment, and also lesser financial aid.
I appreciated that this novel captured this phenomenon in Singapore, contextualised by our kiasu/competitive education system, ever-changing landscape (aka constant construction), and rising costs of raising children, to the extent that: “In Singapore, where education was an arms race and every child needed a competitive edge, maternal presence had become a luxury. Waiting at the school gate was sentimental. Inefficient, in fact.”
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom; the familiarity in Jaclyn’s descriptions of little actions like registering at the polyclinic, the quintessential army tee and FBT combo, expiring SkillsFuture credits, among countless others, was really enchanting and I greatly enjoyed the reading experience. It was fast-paced and just over 200 pages, yet the emotional weight of Seok Lin’s story had a heavy impact on me.
Honestly I was initially turned off by the presence of an AI companion in the story only because I’d been so tired of having it thrust upon me in various work/school settings but it worked well in Seok Lin’s story. Like Jaclyn mentioned, “Chad” may appear character-like but is a literary device that showed Seok Lin’s wish to be replied to and seen. Chad always knew what to say, knew to comfort her first before gently offering suggestions, and also other useful calculations when she didn’t want to think anymore, like which seaweed to buy at NTUC. The immediate replies from Chad helped Seok Lin and their interactions demonstrate how people who feel overlooked or isolated can find solace in AI. Thankfully, Seok Lin was still her own person outside of these chats; recognising when something sounds wrong, doing her own creative pursuits outside of AI, and gradually finding herself having nothing to say to him.
This story follows Seok Lin, who quit her job to permanently look after her two children, aka a stay-at-home mother (SAHM). It captures the monotonous drone of her daily chores and tasks; preparing food for her son, trying to get him to school on time, the inevitable argument that ensues when he refuses to eat aforementioned food, and ultimately her resignation, losing both the battle and the war as she prepares a new sandwich *and* they’re late for childcare. But her list of responsibilities doesn’t stop after her children are at school. Like a migraine that never fully goes away, Seok Lin checks item after item off her never-ending to-do list: there are necessities to buy but also prices to compare, clothes to wash and dry and fold, meals to cook and pack and wash up.
One day, she finds parts of her flickering, then disappearing completely, which she later finds out is Progressive Identity Attenuation Disorder (PIAD), aka Erasure. But after she overcomes her initial shock, she’s more tired and inconvenienced by this condition than motivated to do something about her health. After all, time doesn’t stop for anyone. Even as she tries to get a polyclinic appointment, she has to book in advance and work around the children’s schedules, and at the end of the day that’s just too much work. What I appreciated was that Seok Lin did genuinely try, she didn’t just brush her health away, but there was really no way to resolve the issue without making lots of changes. And even after she started recovering, Erasure would hit her at the worst possible timings because she’s simply too overwhelmed.
Because besides lifestyle changes and doing things purely for herself like picking up hobbies, Seok Lin also had to overcome her mental barrier of the endless mom-guilt she felt. Perpetrated by the wealth of content online yelling at her on what exactly she should, should not, and DEFINITELY CANNOT! do with her children, yet juxtaposed with the incessantly rising cost of groceries, tuition, and living, Seok Lin had so many voices in her head arguing and also shaming her, no matter her choices. It’s also made worse by the social perception of SAHMs having it easy, being so privileged to spend time with their children and also do nothing at all otherwise. Jaclyn breaks down these stereotypes by detailing the loss of self and agency; having no work meant no money of her own, no pride or sense of accomplishment, and also lesser financial aid.
I appreciated that this novel captured this phenomenon in Singapore, contextualised by our kiasu/competitive education system, ever-changing landscape (aka constant construction), and rising costs of raising children, to the extent that: “In Singapore, where education was an arms race and every child needed a competitive edge, maternal presence had become a luxury. Waiting at the school gate was sentimental. Inefficient, in fact.”
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom; the familiarity in Jaclyn’s descriptions of little actions like registering at the polyclinic, the quintessential army tee and FBT combo, expiring SkillsFuture credits, among countless others, was really enchanting and I greatly enjoyed the reading experience. It was fast-paced and just over 200 pages, yet the emotional weight of Seok Lin’s story had a heavy impact on me.
Honestly I was initially turned off by the presence of an AI companion in the story only because I’d been so tired of having it thrust upon me in various work/school settings but it worked well in Seok Lin’s story. Like Jaclyn mentioned, “Chad” may appear character-like but is a literary device that showed Seok Lin’s wish to be replied to and seen. Chad always knew what to say, knew to comfort her first before gently offering suggestions, and also other useful calculations when she didn’t want to think anymore, like which seaweed to buy at NTUC. The immediate replies from Chad helped Seok Lin and their interactions demonstrate how people who feel overlooked or isolated can find solace in AI. Thankfully, Seok Lin was still her own person outside of these chats; recognising when something sounds wrong, doing her own creative pursuits outside of AI, and gradually finding herself having nothing to say to him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2026
Such a creative story about the impacts of motherhood on your sense of self and visibility. 4.5 stars, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this
September 21, 2026
I find the medical condition inventive and apt in articulating the mental and emotional labour of motherhood. It’s something I believe every mother can find themselves in at one point in their lives
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews