Sayang: Love & Pity

The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes (Mark Twain).  Two families, generations apart, eerily repeat events in a fascinating tale. War clouds are looming on the horizon over the 'little red dot' on the world map. Will history repeat itself against the luscious, intriguing, mysterious and multicultural backdrop that is sumptuous Singapore?  Will the same enthrallment, forbidden love, politics, crime, espionage, war, brutality and peaceful romantic bliss manifest in their stories?  Follow the journey of growth and discovery, as the Hackett boys abandon their Western elitism and subconscious biases. Join them as they begin to love Singapore, its people, and two remarkable women. This bliss is unfortunately temporary as the self-evolving tsunamic apocalypse begins manifesting in the East, threatening to envelope their families once again. Discernment becomes difficult against the backdrop of unlikely alliances, wealthy elite mixing with criminal triads, triads collaborating with terrorists and governments exploiting everyone to achieve their objectives.  Who is orchestrating the kidnappings for ransom? Who is the conductor behind the betrayals, double and triple crosses? Who is the real mastermind? As is with many Singlish words, this novel pushes the polysemic boundaries of fiction genres. This book is a spicy oriental brew blended from sweet and sour ingredients, sprinkled with plot twists of powerful bird's eye chili served in beautiful Singaporean tableware. The story will kidnap you for a couple of days leaving you with a lingering bittersweet aftertaste.