[MPOV] The Snow in Kuala Lumpur

My rating: 3/5

Goodreads rating: 3.25/5

Published: February 2023

Author Daryl Lim

Genre: Brotherhood, historical romance, political, society and culture.

Malaysia in the 1960s. A newly independent nation, full of early promise.

On the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, young Ah Tat dreams of a life beyond the kampong. Earnest, bookish and a little naïve, he sees his path clearly: he will study hard at the Methodist school, enter university and one day become a man of consequence. It is his duty to guide his wayward cousin, the darkly charismatic KC, on a similar path to success. But when KC’s fascination with the local triads results in his sudden disappearance, Ah Tat is left with nothing but questions and regrets. 

Years later, the estranged cousins are reunited in a much-changed country. Ah Tat, now a successful engineer and future captain of industry, discovers KC has become a powerful underworld figure. Vowing to haul his cousin back from the moral abyss, he is instead drawn into an escalating rivalry with KC as the two men vie for wealth, status, influence and the love of the enigmatic June Teh. 

But could a bizarre weather event stay the inevitable reckoning? 

The Snow in Kuala Lumpur is a tale of two men-fierce adversaries who ought to have been brothers-and two peoples, the Malays and Chinese, who forged a new nation while walking the thin line between kinship and a destructive rivalry.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House SEA, for this novel in return of my honest review. This is one of those books where the cover and title actually attracted me. After reading it, I kept thinking of Hanna Alkaf's The Weight of Our Sky. However, I find that the plots here were written with more personal angsts or thoughts as it seemed more politically inclined. I didn't expect such opinion and find that though it is more realistic, it did kinda ruffled my feathers so to speak.

This novel is also written in fluent English that it didn't feel as localize and it made me feel it is more suited in the English soil rather than in Kuala Lumpur. The author did add some local slangs, but it wasn't deep enough for me lah. Given that the characters are also more kampung, I did find it unparallel to the story itself. 

Overall, with friendship, love triangle, hardship, jealousy and revenge as the base of the story, ignoring the political avenue, it is actually an enjoyable read. It was hard for me to grasp it initially but as it progresses and with me flipping through some, I quite liked how it ended. I did expect it but not in that manner. If you are looking for a local KL/ Malaysia read, please read this with an open mind and be forewarned of the political aspect which may not be your cup of tea.