![]() ![]() As social commentary, it holds up a mirror to Singaporean readers. ![]() There are fictionalised references to real-life events, from the 2009 takeover of gender equality group Aware (Association of Women for Action and Research) by a Christian faction to the case of Flor Contemplacion, a Filipina domestic worker in Singapore who was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang in 1993.Īs a whodunnit, Now You See Us delivers twists aplenty and a satisfying ending. Jaswal delivers sharp insights into Singapore society through the eyes of those it classifies as foreign. It reflects the uneasy dynamic that exists in many Singapore households, where you share a living space with someone who you might say is part of the family, but who, at the end of the day, is a paid employee. “I just want to do my job, not go out and share my life with you,” she says. ![]() ![]() The novel features a spectrum of employers, from the abusive Mrs Fann to Cora’s kindly boss Elizabeth Lee, who is highly solicitous of Cora’s welfare, though the lack of boundaries between them makes Cora uncomfortable. This enables her to pack scenes with vivid details, from the balikbayan boxes that Filipina workers fill with gifts to send home, to the factory where Donita’s agency deploys her illegally to wash mushrooms. ![]()
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