Really striking novel, I fell in love with the cover and I was NOT let down! I love getting a glimpse of other cultures through my reads and this book sent me to another world.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book is a great read. Set in Singapore but takes place across three different eras and from three different perspectives.
Lots of interesting observations about the changing eras of the city, which is absorbing for anyone who has visited this everchanging place. The storytelling is brilliant and the writing is lovely.
The three main characters are beautifully put together and sympathetic. And the supporting cast is nicely observed too.

This was okay but I think that there were a few moments where the writing felt weak when compared to the rest of the novel. I liked the relationship between the two that were inside but I wish that the text had been more detailed in relation to certain passages as it seemed they glossed over the action.

Sadly, after reading so many glowing reviews, this didn't live up to my expectations. In three intersecting storylines it explores the relationships between Amisa, Szu and Circe. The first two are mother and daughter, while Szu and Circe are best friends. Amiss is a failed actress and divorcee whose work totals three cult horror films, Szu is a lonely teenager ostracized by her schoolmates and Circe is a wealthy new girl who befriends her. The different timelines show us Amisa as she moves to the city from a remote village, leaving her family behind and struggling to forge an independent path for herself. Szu's tale describes her teenage years just as Circe comes into her life, while Circe recalls the past as she works on a social media campaign for a glossy new remake of Amiss's cult classics.

The relationships are the heart of the novel and they are all thorny. Amisa has always been a distant mother, prone to directing streams of bitterness and disappointment at her daughter. Circe and Szu become close but struggle with rivalry and their developing personalities. The problem was that I didn't feel any real intensity in any of them. Their conflicts include sharp words they didn't seem to land, inspiring what felt like only lukewarm responses. Part of the problem was that so many of the interactions were reported rather than seen directly. Amisa certainly is not an attentive, loving mother but there is hardly any contact between her and her daughter, their relationship is central to everything that happens but it is virtually non-existent. This isn't necessarily a problem, indeed it could easily be the point and heart of the story, but it isn't explored to its full potential. Szu is sad that her mother seems to despise her, sometimes she is angry but i didn't feel either of these things in what felt like a meaningful way. It all seemed quite obvious and superficial.

The strength of the novel lies in Teo's talent for description. Singapore, whether in the 1950s, 2003 or 2020 is vividly brought to life. The suffocating heat, the sights, the smells of every setting from Amisa's home village the cinema where she works and Szu's dilapidated house are rich with colour and depth. The writing itself has some wonderfully crafted passages but the relatively thin plot and characterisation let it down.

To be completely honest, I found this a little dull and disappointing. It felt more like a timeline of the three main characters’ lives rather than an interesting timeline of events. I don’t always expect to like characters, but I at least expect to be interested or have some understanding of them, in this case I did not.

From the blurb I had expected more mythology woven into the plot, than underdeveloped bits and pieces that were actually presented. It just really wasn’t what I expected at all. A rather disappointingly drawn-out book, which just wasn’t for me.

I received an advance review copy of Ponti from the publisher via Netgalley.

An odd little book. The writing is good and , partly due to my love of the magic of film and horror, I was drawn into the book. But as the book progressed I started to un-engage from the whole thing and was left feeling that the story itself wasn't really going anywhere. I reached the end glad i'd read it, but unfulfilled.

This title was reviewed on Splice on July 25, 2018: https://thisissplice.co.uk/2018/07/25/mother-monster-sharlene-teos-ponti.

It’s so bizarre when reading one novel after another to discover coincidental and surprising connections between them. Right after I finished reading Madeline Miller’s “Circe” I started reading Sharlene Teo’s debut novel “Ponti” since it’s one I’ve been anticipating and I wanted to finish it before going to the latest Lush Book Club hosted by Anna James. I soon realized one of the main characters is called Circe as well. While it’s a really evocative name from Greek mythology, it’s certainly not a common one so it was a fun surprise. But this is just an incidental comment about my process of reading what turned out to be a novel that’s so distinct and engrossing.

Since its publication earlier this year, “Ponti” made a splash on social media after receiving a briskly cutting review in the Guardian from Julie Myserson who criticised the “writing workshop” feel of certain scenes and the “limitations of creative writing courses.” In particular she objects to the turns of phrase in sections narrated by Circe whose somewhat self-consciously crude language is actually a crucial part of her character. The review sparked a flurry of responses defending both the value of writing courses and the creativity Teo demonstrates in this complex novel. It was good to hear that Teo herself felt unperturbed about the criticism when Anna asked her about it at the book club discussion. She sensibly sees the value in the debate for how it encouraged people to discuss her novel more and how it also raised interesting issues surrounding creativity/writing courses. I simply note all this because, despite Myserson’s dismissive tone about the book, I found “Ponti” to be refreshingly original and emotionally arresting.

Teo uses such an interesting structure for “Ponti” which rotates between three different characters’ perspectives in three different decades. This felt slightly disorientating at first until the story so compellingly began to fit together. For a part of the book I couldn’t help longing to only remain with Szu whose story follows her in the early 2000s navigating her awkward teen years and friendship with Circe. Szu also lives under the shadow of her more glamorous mother Amisa, an obscure film star whose only role consisted of acting in a trilogy of cult horror movies but she now makes a living as a con artist psychic alongside Szu’s auntie. However, as the novel progressed the revolving perspectives and connections combined to create a thrilling momentum. The way its told says something quite poignant about the meaning of time, memory and grief. In one section a character observes how “Grief makes ghosts of people. I don’t just mean the ones lost, but the leftover people.” In a way, Amisa, Szu and Circe are all living ghosts who are unable to fulfil their potential because of disappointments or trauma that they’ve experienced.

The relationships between all three of the characters is so sensitively composed. It felt bracingly honest how Szu and Circe develop a bond, but their connection slips away as soon as Szu needs Circe the most. They aren’t simply misfits within their school who form a friendship over being outcasts. Their relationship constantly shifts and reforms just as they are building and reforming a sense of identity in these crucial teenage years. Circe reflects that “The truth is Szu and I told half-fictions to each other. We were complicit in our mutual exaggerations.” Teo captures so well the sense of story telling between friends as a self-mythologizing enterprise and an exploration between the lines of candour/confession and emotional truth/historic accuracy. She also shows the heart breaking way friends can outgrow one another.

Equally, Szu’s relationship with her mother Amisa is movingly portrayed as Szu feels such pride in her mother’s acting career despite it being short lived and unsuccessful. In one of the most striking scenes Szu desperately tries to interest a classmate in Amisa’s films even when the girl obviously doesn't care. It felt strikingly realistic how Szu feels a mixture of pride and repulsion for her mother. For whatever reason, Amisa doesn’t feel the kind of bond with her daughter where she can gain any satisfaction from the daughter’s admiration. Instead she shuns Szu and hunkers down in her bitterness at not having achieved the kind of fame that her potential suggested she might reach. This disconnect between mother and daughter is heart wrenching, especially in the way their relationship ultimately plays out. There’s also an unsettling poignancy in the way Amisa’s film role was that of a female vampiric ghost from Malay mythology. A version of the legend relates how the Pontianak originated from a child being stillborn. In this novel it’s ironic that here’s a child capable of loving her mother, but instead Amisa selfishly only longs for the love of the wider world. Her ego is what makes her become a kind of monster.

It's a deeply engaging reading experience. Overall, I feel “Ponti” is strikingly sophisticated in how it creatively incorporates a well-known trope from horror movies to say something meaningful about the tragic disconnect which can occur in our most important relationships.

A coming-of-age novel set against the relentless modernisation of Singapore, where air pollution is measured daily and reeks of rotten eggs, or burnt barbecue.
In Ponti, men are largely absent or feckless. This is a novel about three women and told in three time perspectives. In the early 2000s Szu is sixteen, tall, awkward and ostracised by everyone; even her own mother is a monster who rejects her. She eventually finds a friend in Circe, another loner who is equally unpopular. There are brilliant descriptions of the 'mean' girls, the in-groups who tease and bully Szu and Circe: They are as idle and cunning as crocodiles ... Every morning, in unison, they twist their shampoo-advert hair gently in their hands and draw it over their shoulder like a rifle sling.
As well as a monster for a mother, Szu is also coming to terms with a missing father, and the knowledge that now her mother is dying, she'll never gain her affection or approval. She'll be left with only the mysterious Aunt Yunxi who works as a medium, with Amisa as her assistant.
In the 70s Amisa, young, poor and impossibly beautiful, is spotted by a film director and promised international stardom: Her face would grace billboards in Hong Kong, Paris, Hollywood ... she would be immortal. She makes a series of three shlock horror films starting with Ponti! about the Pontianak, a vampire-like monster who lures men to their deaths with her ethereal beauty. But when the films are released, horror is unfashionable; everyone wants American sci-fi movies like Close Encounters. The films are a flop. Amisa never hits the big time and her short film career defines the rest of her life.
In 2020 Circe, estranged from Szu, is working for a cutting edge media company promoting a reworking of Ponti for a contemporary audience. But she's living with a medical condition more typical of developing countries - a tapeworm that she feels moving inside her, symbolising the monster she feels she is and the guilt that she was disloyal to Szu when her mother died. Circe also felt the strange mystical bond with Amisa - What linked us was something real and true and rare. Szu wouldn't understand.
Writing in the Observer, Julie Myerson was damning about Teo's knotty verbiage and MA creative writing-speak; while I think she's heavy handed in her criticism, she does have a point about the language; but only on a very few occasions.
Overall this ambitious debut novel is a success - it took me back to the sometimes gruesomeness of life as an angsty adolescent. Painfully sad but sometimes humorous, Ponti is an eye-opening read about the effects of rapid modernisation on a developing country and the people who have to live with the consequences.

I was really struck by the sense of place in this book. Having read it, I feel like I’ve been to Singapore, and that I could tell you what it feels like and looks like and smells like. I also loved the way the author was able to create the strange, push/pull feeling that is so particular to teenage friendships. At times the level of description was a bit overwhelming for me, but generally I loved the details that Teo chose to pick up and linger on. She doesn’t hide or gloss over any uncomfortable details, which I found refreshing. Reading this book was a truly sensory experience.

5/5

Ponti tells the story of Amisa, a three-time actress in a trilogy of cult movies, her daughter Szu, and Szu’s friend Circe. The narration weaves between a third-person telling of Amisa’s childhood and emergence as an actress in the ‘70s, first-person Szu at sixteen years old, and first-person Circe in her early thirties. At first, I found this a little disjointed, especially Amisa being the only character without a direct point of view, but this did add to the feeling of emotional distance between Amisa and Szu. Likewise with the distance in time between Szu and Circes’ stories.

I really enjoyed this novel. The three main characters are vividly presented, flaws and all. Amisa drifts through a life she hasn’t chosen. Szu’s narration paints a distinct picture of a teenage life in early 2000s Singapore, with pop music, insecurities and the oppressive heat. Circe is dissatisfied and frustrated with her colleagues and acquaintances.

The characters struggle thought their various problems and emotions, frequently failing to make the connections and find the successes they crave. Despite this, the novel is a story of family, friendship, loss, and hope.

The first thing I really noticed whilst reading Ponti is how accomplished and unusual the writing is. The prose in this novel has such a biting, acerbic tone to it which just leaps off the page and creates such a strong image in the readers mind. The descriptions are so vivid and sometimes harsh that you can smell and taste everything the author describes. The narrative is split between Szu, Circe and Szu’s mother, Amisa and all take place in different time periods. At the very beginning, this jumping around is a little jarring but its easy to settle into the pattern as they all have such different voices. I’m not sure I particularly liked any of our three narrators very much but that is not something that bothers me at all, sometimes I actually prefer characters that are not easy to like because it can create a more interesting story.
There is a lot to unpack in this relatively short novel. One of the main themes is friendship. The friendship or lack thereof between Szu and Circe is very well done. It is quite accurate of some types of teenage female friendships and displays the competition, jealousy and hostility mixing with affection and loyalty that becomes a challenge for both girls. Another really interesting aspect of Ponti is the relationship between Szu and her mother, Amisa. There is a real sadness and pain about the evidently difficult relationship they have. It was fascinating to see Amisa from, at first, Szu’s angry perspective and then later to hear from Amisa herself about her past. Amisa is such a tricky character to get a read on, she at times seems so shallow and cruel but at other times it is hard not to feel sympathy for her. Nothing is very straightforward in this novel and everything is not wrapped up neatly. It is more of a character piece than plot driven which some readers might struggle with but I enjoyed.
Overall, Ponti felt like a really unique reading experience. The prose is so powerful and brutally honest that it makes reading about these characters all the more intense. I would have liked the book to continue as the ending felt slightly abrupt to me. However, despite that, I really enjoyed reading such a passionate and at times sorrowful novel which has been written by a clearly very talented author. I don’t think Ponti is a book I will forget quickly.

An interesting novel about family relationships and friendships. Spanning three generations, Ponti follows its characters through the changing world of Singapore. I was disappointed the horror film trilogy mentioned in the blurb wasn't a greater feature of the plot, and I sometimes found the writing hard to follow, with perhaps too much unnecessary detail. However I enjoyed following these characters through the years and seeing how their actions affected each other.

In 2003 Szu is a teenager living with her mother and aunt in Singapore. A bit of a loner, Szu is often seen as an outsider until one day she befriends Circe and the two quickly become close. The narrative also follows Szu's mother Amisa in the 1980s as she struggles to become a famous actress, with her only credit as the monster Pontianiak in a low-budget horror and its sequels. Finally, in 2020 a recently-divorced Circe is forced to confront her past when she is part of the advertising team of the rebooted Ponti films.

The three different perspectives are incredibly well-written. Each sheds new light on the past and the other women involved in the story. As a reader you see these characters from different angles, making them feel very fleshed out. None are wholly good or bad, but rather have moments that attract sympathy or disgust. Teo also gives each of them a distinct narrative voice, making them feel like individuals rather than just a plot device. You are always very aware of whose perspective you are following and Teo never slips up going back and forth between the characters. However I found Szu to be quite unrelatable at first. Her first chapter I found a bit of a slog, especially compared to Amisa and Circe. When you get further into the plot you do begin to understand her, but at the beginning she is a hard character to connect to.

The novel shares its name with the film Amisa stars in, and there does appear to be horror elements within Ponti, particularly body horror. The most obvious example is when the reader first meets Circe in 2020, she goes into detail about her tape worm. Her strange fascination felt uncomfortable to read and Teo explores this notion of the body throughout the text. There are constant mentions of sweat and scabs, with Amisa at one point comparing her body to beef patty. The juxtaposition between this incredibly over-the-top horror movie and the average body was fascinating. No matter how horrific the events depicted in film are, reality feels much more gruesome.

Of course Teo explores the flip-side to this idea of body horror. Szu is constantly comparing herself to girls at school, whom she considers flawless, and Circe works in advertising where looks have a great importance. In a way this is itself a kind of body horror; a desperation to look a certain way, a fixation on beauty. It makes you question whether Szu's dislike of her body comes from within herself or whether external pressures to be beautiful are affecting her perspective.

Teo's writing here is very evocative and lyrical. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel, as some passages within Ponti are stunning. As a reader you are transported to Singapore and Teo describes it so vividly it feels like you're there in the bustle of the city or the lush greenery of the countryside. The imagery is beautiful, imaginative and I wish I could underline so many passages in my copy. Not a word feels misplaced or haphazardly thrown in; a lot of care and patience has gone into each chapter and it shows.

Ponti is an incredible novel. Without going into spoilers Teo deals with very serious topics yet I found reading the novel a very uplifting experience. The characterisation of the three main leads was excellent and they were very well-developed. However the main strength of the novel lies in Teo's writing style. It is haunting and imaginative, letting you explore a part of the world which doesn't often appear in literature, particularly in the Western world. If you can get through Szu's first chapter, then Ponti is certainly a worthwhile read.

I loved this book so, so, much. Sharlene Teo is my new favourite author and I urge everyone in the world ever to read this, her debut novel. Her writing is amazing, she is so clever and funny. She is just extremely sharp-witted and all her characters are like wonderful caricatures with such colourful personalities.

This book is based around three characters: Szu, her mother and her best friend. All the characters tell their stories from different times; their timelines do not overlap but they are all relevant to one another and come together into one big picture. Szu is in the present; her mother Amisa is in the past when she was a young girl and growing into a woman and mother, and her best friend Circe is in the future when she has grown older and is looking back to the past. Szu's mother was once an actress in a B movie: "Ponti!" Although it was a complete flop and nobody has ever even seen it, Amisa is forever a bitter and proud superstar.

All three of these characters are funny and sad. They each have their own unique problems and ultimately they are similar in many ways, but the author does a really good job of differentiating their voices and personalities so it is never confusing or dull. They all have interesting and unusual relationships with each other. The characters have love for one another in strange ways, and I love the way they interact incredibly awkwardly and think weird, crazy things - ultimately just like real people.

My favourite character is Szu. She is so awkward and I can relate to her so much, I guess because she feels like she has nobody to talk to and her mother is such a huge presence that she feels completely overshadowed by the ever present memory of her mother's stardom. And, of course, she is not beautiful and graceful like her mother is, and that is such a disappointment to everyone, especially Szu.

Ultimately, this book is about awkwardness and ageing, family and friendship, success and failure. If you have ever been human, there is something you can appreciate in this book. The writing is amazing (have I said that already?) and just makes it so special and enjoyable to read. This is my new favourite book of all time and I would give it 6 stars if I could.

This is a lively read - strong characters bring the story of a faded z-lost actress to life. But first and foremost, I have to praise the cover design. I try not to judge a book by its cover, but this bold and bright best stuck in my head and made me read.

Ponti
Ponti is a book about monsters, and people being monstrous to others. Amisa Tan is a permanently disappointed woman who was once the star of a shlocky horror trilogy. In the films she played a monster who tempts men to their deaths. For her being beautiful has been a curse, and she is without love.
She takes her bitterness out on her gawky Gawky teenaged daughter Szu, and slowly withdraws inside herself. Szu is not finding it easy being a teenager in a class of typically pretty and mean girls.
While the novel is set in Singapore, the meanness of teenage girls is the same as we are used to seeing in American movies. A continuous round of insults and petty betrayals. Szu makes a friend called Circe, named after the Greek sorceress.
They pal around awkwardly. Circe is snarky, and considers herself to be superior. When tragedy befalls Szu, she struggles to cope and leans on her friend. Her friend, another typical teenager, tosses her aside finding it all too serious.
The story is told from three points of view, Amisa's, Szu's and Circe's, over different time periods. It rather meanders along, and lacks any sense of urgency. Despite that, we want to see how things end up between Szu and Circe. We are left feeling like bitterness is wasteful, and life is better spent trying to understand one another.

A tale split of over three time frames and telling the story of a mother, her daughter and the daughter's friend. Ponti is set in Singapore and examines the disappointments in life faced by the three characters.

The mother starred in a trilogy of horror films which did not do very well but gave her hope that her life might be more interesting, and her hopes were dashed. The daughter suffered when her father deserted the family and again when her mother died. The friend was not the truest of friends, and then to have spent a lot of time regretting her behavior.

The story did not flow, there was a disjointed quality which meant that I never built up any empathy for the characters. Towards the end of the book there is a story involving the friend, I thought this was going to pull all the threads together and provide some rhyme and reason for the rest of the book. Instead it added another layer of confusion and ultimately a feeling of dissatisfaction for the whole book.

A multi-voice tale focusing on friendship and mother-daughter relationships. The novel spans decades and jumps between three perspectives. I enjoyed the beginning more than the ending as it seemed to be building up to something and yet ultimately it just fizzled out.