‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there’, said LP Hartley and this book strikingly underlines that message. The central character, Durga, has gone back to the village in Malaysia where she was brought up, to visit her grandmother, Mary – also known as Ammuma. She takes fireworks as a present and the fireworks quickly turn into flames as bits and pieces of her past life and the truth about her upbringing slowly emerge. Durga is a mathematician with an interest in category theory and there are lots of things about her early life which simply do not add up!

As an adult, Durga has been successful in the university environment and in mathematics but in her personal life it is clear that finding her place and forming relationships is difficult. Her grandmother is a great character but an unreliable witness to the past, partly because of her age and partly because she is keeping secrets. Back in the village, Durga meets up again with Tom, a childhood friend who along with Durga was closely involved in the sad accidental death of Peony, one of their teenage friends. There’s a lot to resolve.

Most of this is accomplished through the back story of Mary and Durga’s mother Francesca although the events are sometimes more owned up to than happily recounted by the old lady. Mary has been injured in a fire, (remember the fireworks) and is in hospital and increasingly feeble. Her story covers the years of instability in Malaysia, the Japanese occupation, the Emergency and, finally, independence. Its powerful how these events are covered from the perspective of the village.

Even as the past shifts and blurs so does the impermanent landscape of rivers, banyan swamps and tropical trees. And, just to confuse reality even more, there are spirits and ghosts in the jungle. Catherine Menon holds this together so that the novel becomes a kind of crazy detective story as she tries to make sense of what people tell her, what she finds out and what emerges from scraps of paper and photographs of the past.

It’s an impressive debut and a really good read full of twists and turns as the truth, very dark in places, slowly comes into the light.

April edited review:

“Perhaps that’s what I’ve come back to learn; the ghosts in Malaysia are for good. They’re fragile monsters, these nothings of ours” - ‘Fragile Monsters.

Set in Malaysia Catherine Menon’s debut novel, ‘Fragile Monsters’, follows one Indian Malaysian family's story from the 1920s through to the novel’s present day. The main focus is the fractious relationship between Durga and her grandmother Mary. Events unfold in the two time periods, the present of 1985 with Durga as first person narrator and in 1922 onward following Mary’s story.

Durga is a mathematics lecturer, who for the past ten years has been away in Canada. She returns home to rural Pahang to spend Diwali with Mary. As a result they are forced to untangle the mysteries of the past. “Stories twist through the past like hair in a plait,” Durga says.”
 
In January I read an advance copy of this novel provided by Penguin Random House U.K. via NetGalley and while I found it beautifully written, especially in terms of its descriptions of Malaysia, I failed to feel much connection to the story or characters. So decided that it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

However, when its unabridged audiobook became available to review I thought that given my love of audiobooks that it might prove more accessible.

Indeed this proved so and I found myself much more engaged in the narrative and now consider it a 3.5 star read that I have rounded up to 4.

A beautifully written story of grandmothers and grandaughters, full of history and cultural colour,and how history and the ghosts of the past (fragile monsters) eventually rise to the surface like gas to the surface of a (banyan) swamp.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Catherine Menon, Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business for the opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.

A slow start at first and I struggled to connect with the characters of this novel. But I wonder whether that was because I did not warm to them at first. The momentum did pick up and I lost myself to these two headstrong and independent women as their stories unfolded (again, not always liking their choices in life). I found myself thrown into visions and emotions of dark and light, of memories from Mary’s past and Durga’s life in comparison. Various layers of life in Malaysia and the characters lives, interlaced with tales, lies, Mary’s chain of events and a frustration and need to find the truth.
I was fascinated to learn about Malaysia’s history/climate and I have always felt it an important step for an author to open the history door for readers that may never otherwise know about a place, the sense of it and the emotions behind it. But I was left wanting more..
Beautiful prose and descriptions helped to colour and captivate, in this deep journey of a novel. A harsh and unforgiving landscape that is symbolic in the story of these women’s lives.

I enjoyed learning more about Malaysia's history and culture. The story and unreliable narrators was interesting and it was super to travel to somewhere hot and humid.

This was a truly magnificent book, beautiful and creative characters, wonderful descriptions and a complex but well written story. Highly recommend

For me this book was a slow starter but I persevered and i did enjoy this book one it got better. I was transported to Malaysia which no found very interesting.

A good read showing how a family's history gets rewritten and rewritten until no-one knows the truth. Fascinating insight into Malay life through the years and how it can still tangle through into the present.

A beautiful story, so well crafted and full of very beautiful prose. The story takes us through the life of Mary, and also the life of her granddaughter Durga, a story that spans the generations. I found this tale to be a wonderful story of love, life and self restraint ; but most of all I found the story full of hope.I loved this book, it’s full of strong female characters full of independence, it’s very atmospheric and quite dark at times. It’s slow to start but I encourage you to persevere as it reaps its own rewards. This is a beautiful tale , teaching me so much I didn’t know and some beautiful imagery of Malaysia. Highly recommended


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book was a magnificent exploration of family dynamics, guilt, and growth. It took me a bit to get into, but after I hit the 25% mark, all I wanted was to finish it and get answers. Did I necessarily get answers? No. But what I did get was a beautiful story from two incredibly strong women. That, paired with the Malay history that I previously knew nothing of, sealed the deal for me; Catherine Menon is a skilled author and I'm excited to see more from her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which traces one family's story from 1920 to the present. The publisher describes this as "a thrilling tale of love, betrayal and redemption against the backdrop of natural disasters and fallen empires" - and this is exactly what you get. The generations and their stories are interwoven to create a compelling world where everything is connected.

The characters, especially the flawed but entirely believable Durga and her elderly grandmother Mary, all have their faults, their secrets and their preoccupations. Their behaviour and the stories they reveal bring the Malaysian setting to life vividly, and so convincingly I could feel the heat even while reading it in a cold English winter.

I don't like spoilers, but I would like to mention the ending, which is both unerringly emotional, and open enough for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I was left leaving more, but at the same time feeling that it was entirely appropriate that not ever thread was neatly tied up, as human lives are never that tidy.

Complex characters.
Main protagonists are Granddaughter Durga and Grandmother Mary. The novel has lots of tangents and the truth is sometimes elusive.
Well described characters, situations and emotions.
Durga returns to Malaysia to see her Grandmother who reared her as her Mother Francesca died giving birth to her. Lots of memories emerge as Durga and Mary talk, the continuous criticism and barbed comments of Mary towards Durga can be amusing and spiteful. Both women harbour guilt and secrets from their past. Mary feels guilt over the treatment of her best friend Cecilia Durga feels responsible or the death of her friend Peony. The treatment of the Malays by the Japanese is horrific and haunting.
Does Durga find out the truth about her Mother?

Durga returns to Malaysia from a self-imposed exile in Canada, and spends Diwali with her Ammuma (Grandmother). An accident with fireworks lands Ammuma in hospital, and suddenly Durga is surrounded by long forgotten memories. Will she discover the story behind her birth before Ammuma dies and the secrets are lost forever?

Fragile Monsters is a fascinating story of three generations of Malaysian life, from Ammuma’s early childhood, through the trauma of the Japanese occupation during World War II, on to the present day. It’s a history I knew little about, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It did get a little confusing at times, trying to keep up with which events occurred when, with so many characters appearing.

Overall, a really good story, with an amazing insight into life in Malaysia over the past century.

Thank you, Netgalley, Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, and Penguin Business for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fragile Monsters from Catherine Menon is a family saga spanning from the 1920s to the present, with rural Malaysia serving as a backdrop to the mysteries and secrets that are unraveled. We get the story from two perspectives, one from Durga, a maths Professor at Kuala Lumpur University, and one from Mary, Durga's fierce and sharp-tongued grandmother. Durga is visiting her grandmother and wants nothing more than to spend the days peacefully and leave the house that's filled with painful memories. Her plans go awry when during Diwali celebrations, Mary is met with a firecracker burn incident. This leads to Durga spending more time with her grandmother and the two trying to unlock secrets from the past that haunts them to this day.

The story is a mix of mystery and suspense surrounding the two women who are equally headstrong and fierce. The two have gone through lots of terrible losses that affect their lives moving forward. The trauma is still fresh, making appearances in their present lives and creating waves. The more Durga searches for the truth of the incidents and the history of her family, the more she gets sucked into stories and myths that make no sense. There is no clarity and closure for any of them. We make the journeys through the past with our characters, feeling like we are drowning in all the questions. The story keeps us on our toes and takes us on a wild ride through Kerala to Malaysia. Can Durga separate the fictions of her childhood from the truth?? Is there any truth to be found in her grandmother's grand tales?

Overall, the complexities of relationships, betrayal, and love play a huge role in the narrative. The need for secrets to be buried is at the forefront of both perspectives. The ghosts of the past that haunt the characters pave the path for the progression of the story. It was interesting to see how their mental health was affected by the secrets they held dear. Guilt and love in equal measure pour from them and makes the readers intrigued to peel back the layers of these complex relationships and cultural constraints. The story talks about leaving the past behind where it belongs and moving forward to pull oneself out of festering secrets. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction or literary fiction that focuses on familial relationships and it's complexities. I gave the book 3 stars and I believe it's a wonderful story from a debut writer. I will be interested in reading anything this author will be writing.

I was so sorry to finish this book. It provided pleasurable reading each time I returned to it. A beautiful story, so well crafted that takes us through the life of Mary, the child of a British eccentric expat and his Indian wife. Mary was born and bred in Malaysia. It taps into the early life of her granddaughter, a successful academic who has lived overseas for the past 10 years, but was raised by her grandmother. It focuses on the characters who stay with you long after you have finished their interwoven stories. I shall be buying this exquisite book for friends.

Having recently returned from Canada, Mathematician Durga visits her grandmother at their run down family home for Diwali, but an accident with the fireworks lands Mary in hospital and Durga’s return to her new post lecturing in Kuala Lumpur is delayed. Cleaning up after the fire, Durga comes across some objects in the house that do not correspond with what she has been told about the family history, providing the catalyst for her to delve into family secrets.
Unfolding the story of a mixed heritage family in colonial Malaya through the early years of the 20th century, through Japanese occupation and the fight for independence, the novel interweaves events from the past, mainly from Mary’s viewpoint, and that of the present narrated by Durga. The many secrets hinted at from the outset are resolved against the vividly depicted background of changing and turbulent times in a multi-cultural, multi-layered society, with the character of Mary, a true survivor, at its heart. This is an intriguing novel that works as a mystery, a contemplation of grief and loss, and as a study of how the decisions of individuals can affect the fortunes and future of whole families. I have to confess that I was not immediately grabbed by it, but became increasingly engrossed as I read deeper into the book and was rewarded by an intriguing and absorbing tale. I will be recommending this through book clubs, although as my library is in a primary school I will not be able to buy it.

I'm afraid I find the author's prose to be a bit clunky and the story isn't particularly captivating. The characters too could have been better fleshed out.

I was really excited for this book; the premise sounded interesting and I do enjoy inter-familial generational dramas. Unfortunately, it ended up falling a bit flat for me. It read very slowly, and I don't always necessarily mind that, but I found it hard to motivate myself to continue reading at times. I liked the dual timeline and perspectives switching from Durga and Mary, her grandmother. I also liked that it was set in Malaysia, as it's a country I don't know much about. Both women deal with an important loss, and it was interesting to see just how intertwined their lives were, despite being completely different people in their personalities. I personally connected more to the character of Mary, a grumpy old woman, so I don't know what that says about me! There were aspects of the book I didn't care for, like Durga and Tom's relationship, and I also think that the big reveal at the end didn't really work for me. Overall, a bit disappointing.

Durga Pannikar is a maths lecturer in Kuala Lumpur, where she has returned after living in Canada. Mary is her grandmother, a woman who has secrets and stories to tell, but so much is bound up in these stories that it is hard to separate the truth from her different versions of events.

There is a story about Mary in her younger days, a wilful girl who ended up marrying a boy in love with her best friend. Mary has a daughter, Francesca, but she is dead too - or so Mary claims - dead after giving birth to Durga who Mary then brings up. There is also Mary's brother, Anil, who struggles to communicate and may have been killed by a Japanese sentry or died of TB.

Durga visits Mary for Diwali, but a stray firework lands Mary in hospital. Ghosts from the past intrude on Durga's present - a friend who drowned, a married man she slept with in Canada and still loves - and get in the way of her relationship with her feisty gran.

Durga's precision and thirst for detail mean she doesn't always see what is obvious. She sleeps with Tom, a doctor at the hospital, and only later learns that he is married and has a child with another woman. Tom is part of Mary's secret too, as events begin to connect past to present.

I found this story confusing at times and couldn't invest sufficiently in the characters, and parts of the narrative didn't make sense in the context of the whole. I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end because the story didn't tie up all the loose ends, although this may have been deliberate.

Overall, a good story but not one that grabbed my attention enough to want to return to it or read any more books by this author.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Penguin General UK, in return for an honest appraisal.

Secrets, ever-changing stories and a grand-daughter's quest to find out the truth about her mother and to solve the strange relationship she has with her maternal grandmother. The descriptive prose is often beautiful, and so evocative of the ever-present river and swamp - with their unforgiving savagery, threat, constant damp, humidity and mould. At times the writiing style reminded me of Arundhati Roy - for me the poetic tone drew wonderfully graphic illustrations of another culture. An imaginative, dreamy place where stories and legends abound. You're' left wanting more answers. But true to life, we don't always get them. Whimsical , yet sobering. I found this a wonderful mx of love, suffering and denial; but most of all, love.