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Big Mole
Shortlisted for Best Fiction Title, Singapore Book Awards 2016
Shortlisted for Best Book Cover Design, Singapore Book Awards 2016
In the fight for independence, one young woman seeks freedom for herself. Born an orphan with an unlucky blemish under her eye, Big Mole is stuck running an ornamental fish shop with her roguish boyfriend Hong. When their friend is killed in cold blood on his first day as a secret society gangster, Hong forms a band of brothers and swears ruthless revenge. Big Mole finds herself reeled into a brutal mass murder and dangerous affection for ex-spider boy Kwang, with the colonial police and local investigators hot on their heels.
This thrilling sequel to the seminal Spider Boys marks Ming Cher’s long-awaited return after two decades. Crackling with the seedy spirit of late 1950's Singapore, rife with possibilities, Big Mole will transport and invigorate you as, with the tenacity of an exotic fighting fish, one blemish turns to beauty spot.
Shortlisted for Best Book Cover Design, Singapore Book Awards 2016
In the fight for independence, one young woman seeks freedom for herself. Born an orphan with an unlucky blemish under her eye, Big Mole is stuck running an ornamental fish shop with her roguish boyfriend Hong. When their friend is killed in cold blood on his first day as a secret society gangster, Hong forms a band of brothers and swears ruthless revenge. Big Mole finds herself reeled into a brutal mass murder and dangerous affection for ex-spider boy Kwang, with the colonial police and local investigators hot on their heels.
This thrilling sequel to the seminal Spider Boys marks Ming Cher’s long-awaited return after two decades. Crackling with the seedy spirit of late 1950's Singapore, rife with possibilities, Big Mole will transport and invigorate you as, with the tenacity of an exotic fighting fish, one blemish turns to beauty spot.
- GenresFiction
232 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
12 people want to read
About the author
Ming Cher
4 books1 followerBorn in Singapore in 1947 in Bukit Ho Swee, then a slum village in Singapore, Ming Cher was one of seven children. He left school at thirteen and became a street drifter in the manner of the characters in his debut novel, Spider Boys. First published by Penguin New Zealand and William Morrow in 1995, the critically acclaimed book was one of the first Singapore novels released by major publishing houses overseas, and is notable for its inventive use of colloquial Singapore English. It was republished in grammatical Standard English by Epigram Books as part of its Singapore Classics series in 2012.
The 1995 recipient of the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship, Ming Cher has also worked as a construction supervisor on a hospital project in South Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War, a merchant seaman, and an importer and retailer of Indonesian goods. He has lived in New Zealand since 1977.
The 1995 recipient of the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship, Ming Cher has also worked as a construction supervisor on a hospital project in South Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War, a merchant seaman, and an importer and retailer of Indonesian goods. He has lived in New Zealand since 1977.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 24, 2022
As a stand-alone book, as well as a sequel to Spider Boys, this was a let-down. I am still glad I read it, because of its value as a window into the gang scene in 1950s Singapore. But I'll remember it as the book I had to read because of the one it was a sequel to.
Spider Boys has the voices of boys and girls coming of age, immersed in the world of gambling on spider fights in a Singapore that was still "Third World". There's no other book like it and there will never be, as far as I know. The use of Singlish added to its charm.
In Big Mole, things change. This is about gang wars, a genre that has been done to death and still has new life breathed into it by new books and films. Sadly, Big Mole is not one of those. The gang sequences aren't gripping enough, mainly because the characters seem distant. The one character that emotes well, Big Mole herself, swerves .
It didn't help that there was an unnecessary historical blooper.
So: disappointing, but still essential reading for those interested in Sing Lit.
Spider Boys has the voices of boys and girls coming of age, immersed in the world of gambling on spider fights in a Singapore that was still "Third World". There's no other book like it and there will never be, as far as I know. The use of Singlish added to its charm.
In Big Mole, things change. This is about gang wars, a genre that has been done to death and still has new life breathed into it by new books and films. Sadly, Big Mole is not one of those. The gang sequences aren't gripping enough, mainly because the characters seem distant. The one character that emotes well, Big Mole herself, swerves .
It didn't help that there was an unnecessary historical blooper.
So: disappointing, but still essential reading for those interested in Sing Lit.
December 19, 2015
Getting a sense of Singapore in the past is certainly interesting, especially the way the gang works.
However, the plot was simply too predictable. I was expecting more tension, and more cunning moves. Maybe I just watched too many Chinese gang movies.
Nevertheless, still a pleasure to read.
However, the plot was simply too predictable. I was expecting more tension, and more cunning moves. Maybe I just watched too many Chinese gang movies.
Nevertheless, still a pleasure to read.
March 27, 2016
A vivid and enjoyable story of Singapore in the 50s. The resolution for the characters was a little too convenient, but does not detract from the fun.
March 19, 2017
[Not exactly a review, but more of sharing afterthoughts]
A page turner, an incidental love & extremely exciting.
Love the language, the short and sweet sentences, and especially the dialogues.
It wasn't a book I chose to read by choice, but I soon realised it's actually my cup of coffee. So it turns out to be a discovery process on my preference for fiction.
I read this before reading Spider Boys. Can't wait to start on it now.
A page turner, an incidental love & extremely exciting.
Love the language, the short and sweet sentences, and especially the dialogues.
It wasn't a book I chose to read by choice, but I soon realised it's actually my cup of coffee. So it turns out to be a discovery process on my preference for fiction.
I read this before reading Spider Boys. Can't wait to start on it now.
October 26, 2016
Some insight into the work of gangsters in Singapore during the '50.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews