Eternal Summer of My Homeland

The stories in Agnes Chew’s first fiction collection illuminate the complexity of choice when duty and desire collide, and what a person is willing to sacrifice. A daughter grapples with an unexpected discovery in the aftermath of her mother’s death. A husband struggles to understand his wife’s reaction to her pregnancy. An adolescent and a domestic worker exchange secrets whose weight they find they cannot bear. And in a corner of Changi Airport, a nondescript office cubicle, a patch of open forest, others strive to find meaning and home.

“These heartfelt stories bear the familiar tropes of our island city life—our ubiquitous airport, the unspoken impact of urban development, class difference, corporate pragmatism, foreign labour, climate change—and are keenly drawn with an unpretentious, empathetic eye.”
— Cyril Wong, multi-award-winning author of This Side of Heaven

“Richly atmospheric, Eternal Summer of My Homeland hums with buried grief and secret wonder. Moment by moment, Chew deftly interweaves these keenly observed portraits of Singapore with the luminous interiors of her characters’ hearts. This is a collection to savour.”
— Inez Tan, bestselling author of This Is Where I Won’t Be Alone

“Stories of gentle nuance and emotional sensitivity…a delight.”
— Melissa De Silva, Singapore Literature Prize-winning author of 'Others' Is Not a Race