Another Kind of Paradise: Contrasts Old and New Asia

The book “Another Kind of Paradise” contrasts old and new Asia with beautiful stories of youth, love, life and transformation. There is a strong emphasis on love and how it transforms our lives, something we all can relate to especially during our prime. I obviously identified more with female protagonists and placed myself in their story. None the less, the young male characters also developed and grew in each story and I could also relate to their lives. Two stories and two characters particularly called my attention. I felt they were speaking from their hearts directly to mine as if made from the same fabric.

The first is “Pillow” by Alfian Bin Sa’at of Singapore. The way the author begins to build up his story can be considered literary architecture. When I started reading this story, I had no idea there would be such a twist at the end. An unassuming story of two men talking, one old, lonely, hurt and the other young, energetic confused and unsure. This story caught my attention due to my personal interests and life story. I was married once to an older man. The older man in the story depicts some aspects that were so similar to my relationship. A man past his prime, lonely and needing someone forever, he falls in love with a younger man, barely of age who has so much ahead of him. While we all want love stories to have a happy-ever-after ending, the reality is that most love stories have a finale specially when one is the elusive, attractive younger counterpart. My ex-husband also wanted me to be there forever and I was and still am too young to make that promise. My life is still ever-changing while his was set and defined. I connected with the main character because even though he was indecisive, he still had admiration and love for his old man. He was unsure of what he wanted exactly. He obviously wanted to better himself and was going to school but he was unsure if he wanted to commit to this man or not. The descriptions were beautiful and mundane, definitely written to entice the reader into the protagonist’s world.

The second story I loved was “Nine Down Makes Ten”. It’s a story of a young woman recounting the men she loved in her life and the effect they had on her. Not only did the men in her life change her outlook on life but they also fueled her growth. She had been involved with bizarrely different kinds of men ranging from “Don Juan” to spiritual religious freak. I relate to her because she describes these men so well, making me know them intimately and comparing them to the loves of my life. She also had a relationship with an older man. It’s taboo in our western culture but certainly common in other countries like my own. I come from a traditional home where older men are regarded as stable, mature, respectful and ready to settle down. In our western culture, age disparity is often looked down on and not respected. The author makes lovely descriptions that are almost poetic, nostalgic and romantic. She touches the human heart and reminds us that we are all really the same, just simple souls who connect to different souls along life for different purposes and each one comes to teach us something new and create us because we are forever transforming. In the end she just wanted love. In the end, we all just want love. It’s what we were created for.