The South (2025)

The South is the first book in a planned quartet that centres on a family navigating a period of significant change both in Malaysia and in their own lives. The main events of the novel are set around 1997 and the Asian financial crisis, following the Lim family as they travel from their home in Kuala Lumpur to a dilapidated farm they have inherited in Johor, southern Malaysia. The central plot of the novel revolves around 16-year-old Jay's coming-of-age and sexual awakening. On the farm, he meets Chuan, the son of the farm's manager, and a transformative relationship develops between them over the course of the summer.