In Time, Out of Place

Cultural Medallion

by You Jin

Shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize 2016 for English Non-fiction

You Jin brings to her travel writing the same wit evident in her fiction. Whether she is trekking through the Amazon rainforest, exploring the caves of Granada with gypsy pickpockets, visiting a farm stay in Tasmania, or negotiating for a horsehair-lacquer cup in Myanmar, she is adept at weaving a whimsical incident into a compelling and amusing narrative. Her trademark spirited humour brings to life the vastness of the globe we inhabit, as well as more intimate encounters with the people she meets along the way.

Genres: Travel

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Tham Yew Chin, better known by her pen name You Jin, is the author of over 150 books, and is a prolific writer of travelogues, essays, opinion pieces, short stories and novels. Known for her heartwarming and sensitive observations of everyday life, she has been recognised in Singapore and China. The inaugural recipient of the Singapore Chinese Literary Award and the Montblanc-NUS Centre of the Arts Literary Award, she was honoured with the establishment of the You Jin Research Centre in Chongqing University in 2000. In 2009, Tham received the Cultural Medallion for her contributions to literature in Singapore.

Reviews

[Francine Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

You Jin is the Singaporean version of Tony Wheeler; some of the places she has visited, I think I would only and rather read about from my comfy bed

[Lim Song Yi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read you jin's column on the chinese newspaper which focussed on her travels and interactions with different people, which was engaging and also, I needed to improve my chinese. As one of the most successful local authors, her writing never fail to keep me reading, especially with this book. In time, Out of place is a book/ essay collection on her journey to different countries around the globe with her husband and she writes about her experience with the different cultures and people. Each story share intimate moments between her and the country itself and the voice that she wrote in conveys a beautiful message in every single interactions and also make you feel like you are present with her in this globetrotting adventure. In her writing, she show empathy and her willingness to understand unknown cultures that is completely different from a modern metropolitan city state like Singapore. In fact, the places she travels to are not mainstream tourist sites which make it even more worthwhile to dive into. In eastern Europe, she interacted with the citizens of the post communist society, where many struggle with having proper education and finding jobs that can sustain them. As she moved on to the rest of Europe, she showcase the vibrant culture she was exposed to like the music and art unique to Europe. In the other side of the world, Oceania, she explore the carefree farm life, which was a different lifestyle to people residing in Singapore. Subsequently, she travelled to South America and Africa, where it was the wildlife such as the touring of the amazon forest and Kenyan safari park that was truly an eye opener. Lastly, she headed to the continent close to home, Asia. In Asia, she had conversations with people of all walk of life, from muslim ladies in conservative society like Kran where they have to wear burkha and are unable to date freely to hardworking villagers in China and Myanmar who are trying to promote their culture to make a living. She make every opportunities to understand the people and by chance, she would be able to meet a singaporean or people that have travelled to singapore before. Particularly in a pandemic ridden world where we are not allowed to travel as freely as we want, this book provides a wholesome getaway to different part of the world. It is just warm and comfortable flipping each page and diving into her many adventures and also learning so many things about other cultures.