The Lost Boy

by K.S. Maniam

Born the last child in the family, Steve wonders why his mother doesn't love him. He also wonders why she worries more about his brother and sister who are studying overseas. To find relief from his worries, he throws himself intohis woodwork project. He builds a boat, with the help of his friend, Riduan, on the banks of a nearby river. When he and his friend take in on a trial run doqn down the river, they get swept out to sea.

Trying to keep afloat in the stormy sea, Steve sees "strange shapes around me. Sonetines a tree looked like a bent, old man pointing a crooked finger at me." When he and his friend are tescued, he feels he has also been reacued from a differeny kind of disaster.

53 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

K.S. Maniam, born 1942, has been writing from his early teens. His stories have appeared in numerous journals around the world. His first novel, The Return, was published in 1981 and the second, In a Far Country, in 1993. He won the first prize for The Loved Flaw: Stories from Malaysia in The New Straits Times–McDonald short-story contest (1987) and for Haunting the Tiger: Contemporary Stories from Malaysia in The New Straits Times–Shell contest (1990). He is the inaugural recipient of the Raja Rao Award (New Delhi, September 2000), for his outstanding contribution to the literature of the South Asian diaspora. He has been lecturer (1980–85) and associate professor (1986–97) in the English Department, University of Malaya, in Kuala Lumpur. He lives with his wife, son and daughter in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, and devotes his time fully to writing.

Reviews

[SyaMimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve who feels abandoned by his mother decided to get into his hobby in woodwork, building a boat with his friends Riduan. A short simple story yet have such strong family relationship, not to mention friendship as well, beautifully potrayed. A slight element of suspense towards the end. A good story!