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The Age of Goodbyes
The Age of Goodbyes | Li Zi Shu
2 posts | 1 read | 2 to read
By one of Southeast Asias most exciting writers, The Age of Goodbyes is a wildly inventive account of family history, political turmoil, and the redemptive grace of storytelling. In the summer of 1969, in the wake of Malaysia's deadliest race riots, a woman named Du Li An secures her place in society by marrying a gangster. In a parallel narrative, a critic known only as The Third Person explores the work of a writer also named Du Li An. And a third storyline is in the second person; you are reading a novel titled The Age of Goodbyes. Floundering in the wake of your mothers death, you are trying to unpack the secrets surrounding your lineage. The Age of Goodbyeswhich begins on page 513, a reference to the riots of May 13, 1969is the acclaimed debut by Li Zi Shu. The winner of multiple awards and a Taiwanese bestseller, this dazzling novel is a profound exploration of what happens to personal memory when official accounts of history distort and render it taboo.
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Dilara
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A meandering, intricate novel set in Ipoh, home of white coffee. (One of the MCs owns a kopitiam, a coffee shop/greasy spoon/mini-food court). Quite liked it.
#FoodandLit #Malaysia
@Catsandbooks @Texreader

pic of “Concubine Lane, one of the cultural and culinary hub in the city“ by Slleong from the Wikipedia page on Ipoh

Texreader What a book! Stacked! 2mo
Dilara @Texreader I hope you like it 😀 2mo
Liz_M Is this the one that has a book within a book? One layer of story is the mysterious book found in the library? If so, I really liked one story line and was bored by the other. 2mo
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Dilara @Liz_M I can\'t remember whether the book\'s reader (\“you\“) found it in the library, but yes, there is a book within a book and mysterious characters in various storylines/timelines. It took me a month and some willpower to finish it b/c I read it as an e-book, which I find harder to focus on, but I did it and am glad I pushed through. I connected with the Du Li An (kopitiam owner) story most. I suppose you did too? It was more fleshed out. 2mo
Liz_M @Dilara Yes! I really liked the opening and the book within a book (especially nice touch in the print version -- the page numbers started at 300-something), but the other story arc was more compelling. 2mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼🇲🇾❤️ 2mo
42 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Dilara
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Looking up the state of Perak in #Malaysia, where the book is set, I came across “Ipoh white coffee“ (Ipoh's the state capital & the author's home city). This is my attempt at recreating this drink. Coffee beans are caramelised in sugar and palm oil (or butter/ghee), then ground & brewed. It is served w/ condensed milk. I hope it is not too different from the real thing, but I'd have to travel there to know.
#FoodandLit
@Catsandbooks @Texreader

Texreader I‘m not a coffee drinker but what you describe sounds pretty good. How was it? 3mo
Dilara I took photos of the various stages of coffee-making (except for the actual brewing, and mixing and frothing of coffee and condensed milk, which I forgot to record 😞) and used them to create my first composite picture 🤓 3mo
Dilara @Texreader It was delicious, but also a bit of a sugar rush! It's thick and very sweet, almost like liquid candy. I think this is one for special occasions 😁 3mo
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Catsandbooks Wow! That's awesome! 👏🏼 3mo
julesG Love this!!!! What kind of beans did you use? I really liked drinking coffee in SE Asia, different beans compared to the coffee you get here in Europe (it's mostly Arabica beans they use here). 3mo
Dilara @julesG So, I used what I had: green Ethiopian beans, variety or exact provenance unspecified 😚. So, in all probability Arabica - had it been Mocha, it would have said so on the packet... I saw when I researched Ipoh coffee that they use Liberica. This was the 1st time I ever came across that name. I am curious to know more about the coffees you (or others) drank in SE Asia 😁 3mo
julesG I had the unfortunate but fortunate opportunity to have a few flights delayed on a supposedly simple return flight to Bali. We stopped in Taiwan and Java on the way to Bali and made our way back via Singapore, Taiwan and Tokyo. That gave me lots of opportunity to try different coffee. I tried small vendors instead of Starbucks and think most used Liberica beans. The coffee was smoother, less acidic than Arabica, less bitter too. I've roasted ⬇️ 3mo
julesG Robusta beans and they come close to the black coffee experience (I try to try every coffee black first) I had on the trip. Then I branched out trying to recreate different milky coffees. My conclusion: I need to revisit all the spots and enjoy the coffee there. 😉 3mo
julesG Also want to add, coffee flowers have the most delicate floral smell I've come across and I'd happily wear that as a perfume. 3mo
julesG Also 😜 I'm a tea drinker, usually. Maybe that's why the SE Asian coffee tastes so good to me. It's just not as 'brutal' on my palate as the coffee served in Europe and didn't leave a sour aftertaste. 3mo
Bookwomble Awesome! ☕😎 3mo
Dilara @julesG Thank you for those very interesting answers! I'm envious (of your travel, not of flight delays - that must have been a bit of a nightmare) 😁
I'll see if I can find a coffee flower scent somewhere - I'm intrigued...
3mo
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