Worlds Apart (1991) was my maiden, completely self-taught attempt at writing a novel. It’s admittedly my most unpolished work. Strangely, until today, I still get messages from readers telling me how much they’ve enjoyed reading it.
The main theme of the novel is how meritocracy works in Singapore. Academic achievements confer power and exclusivity, separating the world of the elite from the world of the “normal”. But what if the two worlds meet and decide to fall in love? It’s a struggle that no amount of hard work and intelligence can win.
It has been almost 30 years. Many of the scenes described in the novel no longer exist in present-day Singapore. I hope people will change as well.