Review- Fish Eats Lion

One of the things I find fascinating when reading speculative fiction from around the world is how the stories can have so many similarities, but at the same time be so different. Fish Eats Lion: New Singaporean Speculative Fiction, edited by Jason Eric Lundberg, is no exception. The twenty-one stories in this collection cover themes such as cultural history, traditions, folklore, love, and loss, but at heart, they all have the particular feel of Singapore. 

One thing that really stuck out to me was the thread of history and change. It ran through every story, and it’s not surprising. Singapore was a colonial asset for centuries, changing hands between the British and Japanese before achieving independence in the mid-1960s. After several years of turmoil and unrest, there was a rapid modernization that propelled the country into an economic powerhouse in Southeast Asia. 

All this bleeds through the pages of these stories. The modernization of the country, which is home to several different religions and cultural groups, wasn’t easy on the citizens. While the country has become a hub of trade, it’s also grown exponentially, had an influx of foreign workers, and has seen a massive increase in the cost of living. 

And like all good fiction should do, this collection tackles how Singaporeans have dealt with the changes and how it all has affected the lives of average people. It also provides insight into the cultures and norms of this melting pot of a country. 

One of the standout stories for me was “Dewy”, which is about a young woman from Java who becomes a domestic helper to support her mother and daughter. It’s a story of magic-realism (one of my favorites) and illustrates how foreign workers are treated by the elite. I read it as one of those unspoken cultural issues that can plague a country, but nothing is ever done to change it or the marks it leaves behind.

I also really enjoyed “Digits”. This is a great piece that focuses on a Singaporean obsession with the lottery. The story itself is both funny and sobering. The premise is that winning numbers begin appearing in unexpected places, and once people catch on and everyone is winning, the numbers disappear for a bit before reappearing in another unusual spot. Mob mentality, greed, and selfishness abound, but there’s also a quiet lesson to be learned. 

I can’t think of one story in this collection that didn’t appeal to me. They were all so very different, but as I mentioned above, they are all very much connected to the cultures of Singapore. 

If you’re interested in learning more about a country that is culturally rich, unique, and growing into an economic powerhouse, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Fish Eats Lion. It’s a fun and exotic read.

RB