Echoes (second edition)

The second edition of ECHOES is an A5 zine (40 pages). It includes the original three essays, updated acknowledgements, and new cover and internal design.

Please indicate in the notes section at checkout if you would like me to sign the book to you or someone else (e.g. gift).

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Won the 2021 Small Press Network Book of the Year Award

Echoes is a collection of essays which references art and literature, pop culture and nostalgia. It gathers small joys, from a figure-hugging ‘disco dress’ to learning to sing Koo Mei’s ‘Bu Liao Qing’ 不了情 to the swish of washing machines. And asks: what does one unknowingly inherit?

Inspired by old Chinese pop songs and their modern versions, the title essay explores the limits of language and translation and the gaps that remain there. ‘Years later, I had presumed consuming the same cultural products would help me piece together her life. There is however a river—linguistic, cultural, historical—I cannot cross.’

In ‘(Im)material Inheritances’, I consider glamour and the way we dress for the world, while searching for links with my mother and grandmother in old family photographs. Finally, in ‘To Fish for the Moon’, I take readers on a journey from Canberra share house washing machines to my great-grandparents’ laundry business in Kuala Lumpur, to red date tea and bathtubs, examining the detail of our domestic lives, habits and rituals.

Read a review by Dzenana Vucic here: http://mascarareview.com/dzenana-vucic-reviews-echoes-by-shu-ling-chua/

Read a review by Anthea Yang here: https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2021/11/15/201797/get-to-know-the-spn-book-of-the-year-shortlist-2/

SPN Book of the Year Award judges’ comments: Echoes is a true expression of what it means to (re)connect with one's culture, blending memoir, cultural commentary and translation with brief vignettes that leave a lasting impact. There is a rhythm to the writing that is poetic in nature, creating an elegant, resonant and tender read. Echoes is a truly unique and experimental book that showcases the power of small publishing.