Ponti

Starred review from July 16, 2018
In Teo’s stirring debut, an adolescent friendship ripens and festers in the oppressive heat of Singapore. It’s 2003, and 16-year-old social outcast Ng Szu Min grapples with her weight, social awkwardness, and her mother, Amisa, who has a fan following due to her role as a ghost named Ponti in a cult film. Decades earlier, young Amisa leveraged her beauty to remake herself in the globalizing city as a B-film actress. It is the voice of Szu’s friend, Circe Low—reminiscing as an adult—that gives context to the surreal wanderings of the Ng women. Outside of the toxic social hierarchy of their all-girls school, Szu and Circe consider themselves “citizens of nowhere.” Although they come from different worlds, the two become best friends after meeting. Wealthy Circe is enchanted by Szu’s bizarre home life, which features hack séances run by Amisa, who believes she is a medium. Szu appreciates Circe’s honesty and humor whenever she comes over, making her feel more comfortable amid the specters of her cold mother’s beauty and the void of her absent father. But the fiery fascination between the two burns quickly, leaving a blistering resentment. Teo’s relatable yet unsettling novel smartly captures earnest teenage myopathy through a tumultuous high school relationship.

Narrator Vera Chok delivers an outstanding performance of this debut novel about family, friendship, and memory in Singapore. The story is told from the perspectives of three women: Amisa, a former film star who is now a medium; her isolated daughter, Szu; and Szu's nouveau-riche best friend, Circe. A social media consultant, Circe is tasked with promoting a remake of a horror movie that Amisa starred in in the 1970s. Estranged from Szu, Circe must confront the ghosts of her past. Chok's narration is upbeat and conversational. Her charming voice and accent perfectly embody the multicultural aspects of the three women: prim and proper Amisa, awkward Szu, and self-centered Circe. A unique and engrossing listen. A.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine