Strange Morning in Merlion Town
Written by Ling Yuan
paperback
Strange Morning in Merlion Town is a contemporary Singaporean reimagining of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that puts the whimsy and wonder in familiar neighbourhood spaces and everyday experiences. When a boy follows an otter with a suitcase into an MRT station that doesn’t exist on the map, he plunges into a wondrous underground world of Merlion Town. Here, colourful corridors twist into labyrinths and a bottle emptied of its mysterious contents triggers a rose-smelling flood. As the boy winds his way through this strange town, he finds himself teaching Singlish at a tuition centre, joining a Mad Kopi Party and volunteering at a Meet-the-MP session. But when he crosses paths with kueh officers from the Security Agency who accuse him of crime, getting home becomes a challenge.