(Credit: Epigram Books, POPULAR Official Store)
With so many things going on in life, sometimes it’s important to slow down and unleash your inner bookworm. Yes, we’re talking about sitting down with a good book in hand! If you’re bored of the typical romance novels or self-help books, we’ve got a suggestion for you: Singapore literature (SingLit) books written by some of our very own homegrown authors! Not sure where to begin? Here’s our guide to the best SingLit books in Singapore in 2022. Psst, some of these books have even won Singapore Literature Prizes before!
As its name suggests, Singapore literature books (SingLit) are essentially any piece of writing by a Singaporean or set in Singapore. They usually come in the form of short stories or novels which shed light on various world issues from a local perspective. SingLit books are not to be confused with classic English literature books such as the ones studied in secondary school and junior college.
As winner of the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize for fiction, Ministry of Moral Panic (3rd Edition) (available on Epigram Books) is a must-read English literature book. It is a collection of fiction stories that includes local storylines revolving around the Maria Hertogh riots, our iconic Merlion and 1990s hit TV drama, The Unbeatables. We can’t wait to read this best SingLit book!
Author: Amanda Lee Koe
Year Published: 2021
The best SingLit books are those that leave a lingering longing for a memory that’s not even yours. And that’s exactly what The Space Between the Raindrops (available on Epigram Books) does! With this remarkable collection of distinctively local short stories, you’ll be wowed at how this Singapore literature book imagines our little red dot as a psychiatric patient, diagnosed with the crisis of self-identity.
Author: Justin Ker
Year Published: 2014
Local writer Jeremy Tiang’s debut collection, It Never Rains on National Day (available on Epigram Books), has since become one of the best SingLit books on the market. Shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2016, this is an English literature book that will tug at your heartstrings. It weaves together the stories of different Singaporeans living abroad and how they mark National Day in their own ways.
Author: Jeremy Tiang
Year Published: 2015
From a teacher obsessed with Channel 8 soap operas to a young Lee Kuan Yew changing the city state, Heaven Has Eyes (available on Epigram Books) is an English literature book that has uniquely Singaporean characters! Dramatising moments of transcendence in everyday local life, this is one of the best SingLit books that is refreshingly honest and profound at the same time.
Author: Philip Holden
Year Published: 2016
If you’re looking for short stories from English literature books that are original and deeply moving, Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me (available on Epigram Books) is a good start. As one of the best SingLit books by Singapore Literature Prize winner Cyril Wong, expect nothing but character-driven stories in a local spectrum through a medley of beautiful prose.
Author: Cyril Wong
Year Published: 2014
Many know Othman Wok as the Minister of Social Affairs in the 1960s and 1970s but not many know that he is an author of the best SingLit books too. We recommend A Mosque in the Jungle (available on Epigram Books), a collection of classic ghost stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This Singapore literature book is definitely one for those who love all things horror!
Author: Othman Wok
Year Published: 2021
Counting down the hours till your online durian delivery comes? Then read Durians Are Not the Only Fruit: Notes from the Tropics (available on Epigram Books) while waiting! As one of the best SingLit books, this translated series of writings covers all things nature! This Singapore literature book also comes with fascinating insights. Did you know that the behaviour of ants can tell us when a monsoon is about to arrive?
Author: Wong Yoon Wah
Translator: Jeremy Tiang
Year Published: 2013
Set against the backdrop of Singapore’s rapid development from the 1980s to the early 2000s, The Earnest Mask (available on Epigram Books) is one of the best SingLit books written by accomplished Chinese novelist, Xi Ni Er. This heartwarming Singapore literature book tells stories of everyday locals during the difficult times in the forty plus years of nation building. Pass us the tissues, please!
Author: Xi Ni Er
Translators: Howard Goldblatt, Sylvia Li-Chun Lin
Year Published: 2012
With over a hundred published Singapore literature books to date, local writer You Jin is no stranger to the literary arts scene. History buffs will love one of her bestsellers, Death by Perfume (available on Epigram Books), which is essentially a collection of linked stories with a fascinating insight into life in Saudi Arabia. Set in the late 1970s, this book explores pre-20th century expat life quite in detail too.
Author: You Jin
Translator: Jeremy Tiang
Year Published: 2015
Combining an assured writing style with sensitive portrayals, Teaching Cats to Jump Hoops (available on Epigram Books) is the first Singapore literature book by You Jin that was translated into English. It depicts funny and heartwarming stories of a teacher who finds herself confronted with misfits, rebellious dropouts and overbearing parents. This is one of the best SingLit books loved by the young and old alike!
Author: You Jin
Translator: Sylvia Li-Chun Lin
Year Published: 2012
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have heard of Crazy Rich Asians (available on POPULAR Official Store) and how it has taken the world by storm. This is one of the best SingLit books that has effectively put our little red dot on the world map! In fact, this Singapore literature book has since been adapted into a Hollywood film starring popular local actors like Pierre Png and Fiona Xie.
Author: Kevin Kwan
Year Published: 2013
The second part of the Crazy Rich Asians (CRA) franchise is China Rich Girlfriend (available on POPULAR Official Store) which continues the love story of Rachel Chu and Nick Young. In this Singapore literature book, the well-loved couple continues to deal with marriage approval from their in-laws and make shocking discoveries about their family background. Psst, we hear a movie adapted from this book is in the works too!
Author: Kevin Kwan
Year Published: 2015
Rounding off the CRA trilogy is Rich People Problems (available on POPULAR Official Store) which takes a deeper dive into the lives of the crazy rich in Singapore. Rachel Chu and Nick Young take centre stage once again and find themselves caught in a frenzy of greedy relatives and split assets. If this is not one of the best SingLit books, we don’t know what is!
Author: Kevin Kwan
Year Published: 2017
With the backdrop of Singapore’s rich culture and the fascinating history of lion dance, Lion Boy and Fire Girl (available on Epigram Books) is an English literature book that is a true page-turner. We love how local author Pauline Loh has made lion dance as enticing and trendy as K-pop! But that’s not all, with lively characters and cheesy romance plots, this best SingLit book makes us want to fall in love too.
Author: Pauline Loh
Year Published: 2021
Shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018, The Gatekeeper (available on Epigram Books) is undoubtedly one of the best SingLit books you should read. It tells the story of a young girl who flees with her sister to an underground settlement where they hope to seek redemption and fall in love. This English literature book will surely keep you on your toes!
Author: Nuraliah Norasid
Year Published: 2017
The debut novel by local writer Meihan Boey has lived up to the high expectations of becoming one of the best SingLit books! Set in the 1890s in Singapore, The Formidable Miss Cassidy (available on Epigram Books) follows Miss Cassidy as she marries into a large family and has to help them deal with ill omens and strange happenings. An engaging read from start to finish, this English literature book is a must-read indeed!
Author: Meihan Boey
Year Published: 2021
Having studied French at the National University of Singapore, it’s not that shocking that author Imran Hashim decided to write a novel about a girl who runs away to Paris. In his debut Singapore literature book, Annabelle Thong (available on Epigram Books), the titular character finds herself in an intersection of East meets West. This best SingLit book is truly an eye-opening summer read!
Author: Imran Hashim
Year Published: 2018
Craving the best local snacks in Singapore? We are too! With a title like Kopi, Puffs & Dreams (available on Epigram Books) our appetite to read (and eat!) a good Singapore literature book has definitely increased. This best SingLit book tells the story of two men who set up a restaurant in Singapore selling curry puffs and Kopi O. But they soon find that not all is a bed of roses as one of them harbours a dark secret.
Author: Pallavi Gopinath Aney
Year Published: 2021
Another frontrunner on our list of best SingLit books is Kappa Quartet (available on Epigram Books) which is set between Singapore and Japan. This English literature book follows Kevin, a young man without a soul who is holidaying in Tokyo. There, he meets Mr Five, an enigmatic kappa (Japanese folklore river boy) who introduces him to the world of river demons. This new read truly deserves a spot on your bookshelf!
Author: Daryl Qilin Yam
Year Published: 2016
Local author Katherine Soh has captured the hearts of many with her debut novel, Nurse Molly Returns (available on Epigram Books). This feel-good English literature book centres on Molly Goh, who starts a new chapter of life as a nurse in a local hospital after a period of independence overseas. From bossy supervisors to bad first dates, it has far too many relatable moments – a mark of the best SingLit books!
Author: Katherine Soh
Year Published: 2013
Calling all Harry Potter fans! Cheekily titled Harris bin Potter and the Stoned Philosopher (available on Epigram Books), this is the best SingLit book for those in love with the boy wizard. The main plot revolves around a local boy who learns about his magical lineage and gets caught up in an insane adventure to save Singapore’s magical folk. A whimsical and hilarious English literature book for sure!
Author: Suffian Hakim
Year Published: 2019
It’s no secret that Singaporeans love to eat so the Impractical Uses of Cake (available on Epigram Books) definitely caught our eye! This Singapore literature book is about thirty-five-year-old Sukhin and his encounter with a homeless person. Through a shared fondness for cake, it covers multi-layered themes of love, loss and redemption. We can totally see why this is one of the best SingLit books!
Author: Yeoh Jo-Ann
Year Published: 2019
Despite it being Jeremy Tiang’s debut novel, State of Emergency (available on Epigram Books) became one of the best SingLit books when it won the 2018 Singapore Literature Prize for fiction. Masterfully written, the vulnerable characters in this novel are powerfully emotive and eminently relatable to locals. This Singapore literature book also pays tribute to the tumultuous days of the nation’s growth in the 20th century.
Author: Jeremy Tiang
Year Published: 2017
Meet Rose de Souza, a local secondary school teacher with decades worth of teaching experience. In The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza (available on Epigram Books), she looks back on her career and shares important life lessons to her students. With honest anecdotes and beautifully crafted sentences, this is one of the best SingLit books that is both bold and breathtaking.
Author: Cyril Wong
Year Published: 2013
With a slew of accolades including being shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018, Death of a Perm Sec (available on Epigram Books) is a force to be reckoned with. This Singapore literature book revolves around the death of a permanent secretary and the events that follow. As one of the best SingLit books, it also pays an ode to the country’s post-independence days and the socio-political landscape of the 1980s.
Author: Wong Souk Yee
Year Published: 2016
As its name suggests, The Minorities (available on Epigram Books) is all about inclusivity. And that is surely a winning formula to become one of the best SingLit books! In the novel, four misfits of different races live in a HDB flat and find themselves embroiled in a surreal showdown that may upend the country. Throw in humour and wordplay, and you get an English literature book worth your weekend.
Author: Suffian Hakim
Year Published: 2017
Hailed by TIME magazine as “one of the best novels ever written about Singapore”, The Last Immigrant (available on Epigram Books) is a Singapore literature book dedicated to locals living abroad. There are fresh perspectives and interesting storylines aplenty in this best SingLit book, which helps keep readers hooked. In fact, the main character, Ismael, has such a tragic life that we can’t help but root for him until the very end.
Author: Lau Siew Mei
Year Published: 2018
Buckle up for a thought-provoking read when you get your hands on Three Sisters of Sze (available on Epigram Books). This is one of the best SingLit books that effectively portrays the conflict between different education and value systems occurring in one family. Biggest lesson learnt from this English literature book? That no two humans have the same background and that we should learn to love one another.
Author: Tan Kok Seng
Year Published: 2012
We may be in peacetime now but the possibility of war remain a reality, as portrayed in 9th of August (available on Epigram Books) where six suicide bombers slipped into Singapore to set off explosives on the country’s 55th National Day. This is a Singapore English literature book that will get you thinking more about the threat of terrorism and leave you feeling grateful for the peace and security we now experience.
Author: Andre Yeo
Year Published: 2018
Similarly, Sebastian Sim’s The Riot Act (available on Epigram Books) looks into the country’s stability. In this Singapore literature book, the story focuses on the aftermath of the Little India riots in 2013 through the lives of three women. It is a dramatised yet surrealistic retelling of past events which will leave you reflecting on the many things we have taken for granted. No wonder this is one of the best SingLit books on the market!
Author: Sebastian Sim
Year Published: 2018
Still on the hunt for the Best SingLit books? Then, you’ve got to consider reading If It Were Up to Mrs Dada (available on Epigram Books). What unfolds in this English literature book is the story of Cheryl Dada and how she comes to terms with age, loss and love while growing up in Singapore. Written by local author Carissa Foo who is a staff at Yale-NUS, you’re in for an intensely moving and deeply perceptive read!
Author: Carissa Foo
Year Published: 2018
As a senior digital lifestyle journalist at Channel NewsAsia, May Seah reports mainly on cultural news. That’s why her debut novel The Movie That No One Saw (available on Epigram Books) is a breath of fresh air! This best SingLit book mirrors her own life where the main character Adjonis Keh, meets an inquisitive young journalist who questions everything in his life. What a thought-provoking Singapore literature book!
Author: May Seah
Year Published: 2018
Born in Singapore but raised in Japan, Russia and the Philippines, we can count on Balli Kaur Jaswal to provide a unique take on our sunny island. In her debut novel, Inheritance (available on Epigram Books), she tells the tale of Amrit who lives in Singapore from the 1970s to the 1990s. With a focus on the Punjabi Sikh community, this Singapore literature book is a universal story of family, identity and belonging.
Author: Balli Kaur Jaswal
Year Published: 2013
Sugarbread (available on Epigram Books) is another highly-reviewed English literature book written by Balli Kaur Jaswal. The novel is sensitively written and gets you thinking of larger issues in our Singapore society like racialisation, religiosity and patriarchal values. Did we mention that it was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018? Clearly one of the top choices for the best SingLit books!
Author: Balli Kaur Jaswal
Year Published: 2016
A brilliant scholar, a successful lawyer and the mother of Singapore’s current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Author Morgan Chua pays tribute to the late Mdm Kwa in the biography Mdm Kwa: The Life of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew (available on Epigram Books), detailing the untold life of the one whom LKY lovingly called “Choo”. This is a Singapore literature book that will tug your heartstrings at all the right places.
Author: Morgan Chua
Year Published: 2016
Touted as one of the best SingLit books, The Goh Chok Tong Story (Volumes 1 & 2) (available on POPULAR Official Store) is a memoir of the second Prime Minister of Singapore. The first volume charts the early days of his career while the second one honours the many achievements and sacrifices he made for the nation. Those who love history have to read these two English literature books!
Author: Goh Chok Tong
Year Published: 2018 (Vol 1), 2021 (Vol 2)
Heavily pregnant at 22 and with no place to call home. That was the situation Liyana Dhamirah found herself in, as recounted in Homeless (available on Epigram Books). As one of the best SingLit books, this memoir will move you to tears with its focus on the little-known communities in Singapore. Today, Liyana is an entrepreneur and hopes to use this book to encourage Singaporeans from all walks of life.
Author: Liyana Dhamirah
Year Published: 2019
Sexually abused as a child by a family member, Sofia Abdullah pens down her journey of healing and redemption in The Years of Forgetting (available on Epigram Books). As one of the best SingLit books, you get an honest take on the trauma of abuse with bouts of hope and self-discovery. Sofia is currently an international women’s and children’s rights champion fighting for equality for disempowered groups.
Author: Sofia Abdullah
Year Published: 2021
Adrift: My Childhood in Colonial Singapore (available on Epigram Books) is another English literature book you don’t want to miss out on. Here, local ex-journalist David T. K. Wong shares about his childhood in Singapore and living with complicated extended family members. Receiving his education in China and Australia too, this best SingLit book highlights Wong’s lifelong journey to search for where he belongs.
Author: David T. K. Wong
Year Published: 2015
As music director of many National Day Parades and local musicals, Iskandar Ismail is a prominent figure in Singapore’s music scene. As such, Iskandar Ismail: The Music Man (available on Epigram Books) was written as a love letter to him. Through in-depth interviews and never-seen-before photographs, this English literature book details his commercial hits, cancer diagnosis and journey to be a Cultural Medallion recipient.
Author: Monica Gwee
Year Published: 2013
It is without a doubt that local poet Robert Yeo has left an indelible mark on the national literary scene. Hence, NUS professor Dr Ismail S. Talib assembled a wealth of tributes from Robert’s friends in the form of Robert Yeo at Eighty: A Celebration (available on Epigram Books) for his 80th birthday. This is one of the best SingLit books that shows how a man can pave the way for future work in different forms of media.
Author: Dr Ismail S. Talib
Year Published: 2020
As the longest-serving Chief of Defence Force, Winston Choo is a well-respected name in Singapore. He documents the different hurdles in his military administration in Winston Choo: A Soldier At Heart (available on POPULAR Official Store), a popular English literature book. Here, he also sheds light on his battle with cancer and what keeps him soldiering on. This is one of the best SingLit books that’s inspiring for sure!
Author: Winston Choo
Year Published: 2021
With football season in full swing, we think it’s timely to read Fandi: Honour & Sacrifice (available on POPULAR Official Store). An inspirational Singapore literature book on local football legend Fandi Ahmad, this biography shares what it takes to achieve your goals. This best SingLit book offers a first-hand insight into the relentless hard work, motivations and sacrifices Fandi had to make throughout his life.
Author: Durga Poonambalam
Year Published: 2022
The best SingLit books can come in the form of comics too. Case in point: The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (available on Experal Singapore) which has won international acclaim for its honest portrayal of post-war Singapore. This is a masterpiece of comic-book and real-world history through the lens of its titular cartoonist character. You’ll be in love with Charlie by the end of the book for sure!
Author: Sonny Liew
Year Published: 2015
Aptly titled Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker (available on Epigram Books), this is one of the best SingLit comic books that documents life on our island when the pandemic first broke out. From toilet paper shortage, to mask-wearing woes and forced family time, these slice-of-life stories look back at the gloomy days of early 2020 as Singaporeans entered a new-normal era.
Author: Joseph Chiang
Year Published: 2021
Other than the pandemic, 2020 also saw the 18th general election in Singapore being held. As chronicled in GE2020: Fair or Foul? (available on Epigram Books), local journalist Bertha Henson pens down the days leading up to the polls and gives a blow-by-blow account of the campaigning. Based on true facts, this best SingLit book is both thought provoking and humbling to read.
Author: Bertha Henson
Year Published: 2020
When it comes to best SingLit books, Bold Vision: The Untold Story of Singapore’s Reserves (available on Epigram Books) also tops the charts. This English literature book is for the financial gurus who want to find out more about how Singapore managed its reserves over the decades. With gripping anecdotes and bold perspectives, this is a true tale of ingenuity, resilience and vision!
Author: Freddy Orchard
Year Published: 2021
With this list of Singapore literature books, we hope you’re ready to spend the weekend being a bookworm. Purchase all your favourite English literature books at great sale prices during our Shopee 11.11 Big Sale! Not really a fan of hard copy books? Perhaps these best ebook readers would be up your alley instead. For more things about our local culture, check out the best chicken rice stalls or these uniquely Singaporean gifts you can give to your overseas friends!
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