Strangers on a Pier Portrait of a Family

'Strangers on a Pier offer a unique and thought-provoking perspective of a life lived out in interesting times, places, and circumstances' Carl Logan, Midwest Book Review

'Aw always writes well, but this small volume is particularly lyrical. The extended essay format suits him: long enough for some structure - the chronology is not linear, and he bounces from story to social commentary to introspection - and to explore issues in depth, while short enough for immediacy. He covers a tremendous amount of ground ... Strangers on a Pier is a wealth of pithy observation' Peter Gordon, Asian Review of Books

Aw digs deep into the meaning of this move, the meaning of Chineseness in Malaysia, the meaning of inherited immigrant markings, and the meaning of leaving the immigrant perspective behind. He charts what it looks like to reprise history, to move for greater opportunity and more education, leaving behind those with less money and shedding the ancestral memory and choreography of poverty' Sharrona Pearl, Public Books