People move about fluidly nowadays, so much so that mobility
is seen as a gateway to happiness and fulfilment, and is even regarded as a
right. Never has the adage “the world is your oyster” been more real than in
this century, in an increasingly cosmopolitan society stirred up to seek
fortunes, security, and adventures the globe over. To settle down in one place
seems too confining, too suffocating, too constraining.
Yet this book reminds us that no matter how far our travails
take us, a piece of our heart is still attached to that place we call our
homeland. Rehman Rashid takes us on a journey through Malaysia: literally, through reporting the tangible
scenes, facts, histories of different places in Malaysia; and literarily,
through blending his keen insight of Malaysia’s socio-political climate with
the compilation of anecdotes and stories that he’s gleaned from the land.
The book doesn’t just sit in the memoir category. The
author’s skills as a journalist are drawn out by the extensive research he’s
done, and the rational, astute observations he makes on the beauty and ugliness
of Malaysia. Yet, the tapestry of loaded details, references, and allusions
that he’s woven into this memoir resists prosaicism. There is such emotion,
such poignancy dripping from the words that it truly feels like you are sitting
with the author, listening to him as he tells his story. In this book, the
author makes a sweeping exploration of the land, conducted both temporally and
geographically. The result of that twofold exploration is the story of
Malaysia, carefully lifted out from the dusty forgotten annals of history, and
breathed out in all its heartbreaking splendour.
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