Review Life's Like That: Scenes from Malaysian Life by Lydia Teh

Title: Life's Like That: Scenes from Malaysian Life
Author: Lydia Teh
Year: 2004
ISBN: 978-967-978-886-0

Life's Like That: Scenes from Malaysian Life by Lydia Teh is actually a prequel to her later book entitled Honk, If You're Malaysian. This book chronicled many of the typical idiosyncrasies in Malaysian life Teh has observed and witnessed throughout her life as young child right through the times she became a working adult, embraced married life and to the present time of her life of motherhood.

Her storytelling of Malaysian life complete with its complexities and contradictions was done in simple and straightforward manner, with self-deprecating humour and unpretentiousness. Teh captured the ordinariness and essence of the Malaysian life with such starkness that Malaysian readers would be able to identify with them very well. The different aspects of Malaysian life covered - family, pregnancies, babies, motherhood, hobbies, festivities, daily ablutions, pets and other calamities would make readers experience a roller coaster of emotions; the stories would make you want to cry and laugh at the same time, also even grin like a Cheshire cat at the wit and bracing honesty Teh has imbued in these stories throughout this book.

However, I would recommend to readers to read Honk, If You're Malaysian first before diving into this book. The reason is simple - Honk, If You're Malaysian introduces the Malaysian way of life that even a non-Malaysian reader could easily identify with the unique and colourful country Malaysia always is, and Life's Like That: Scenes from Malaysian Life deals the more complex and contradicting side of Malaysian life.

I recommend this book to anyone who love the humorous side of life, what more a multicultural one like the one Malaysia is; this book guarantees you will be having a stitch at the side from experiencing the roller coaster ride of emotions of reading this heart-warming book.