Heartland (1999 novel)
Encyclopedia
Heartland is a novel
by Daren Shiau
, first published by SNP Editions in 1999. The book won the 1998 Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award and is Shiau's debut novel
. The book is now selected as a set text for GCE 'O' and 'N' levels.
and facing enlistment into national service
. Wing Seng has two good friends in junior college: Sham, an Indian, and Audrey, a female friend. He starts a relationship with schoolmate and environmentalist, Chloe, but finds her upper middle class background clashes with his more modest one.
Eventually he is enlisted and undergoes the gruelling three-month Basic Military Training at Pulau Tekong
. He makes friend with Yong, a lower middle-class boy who speaks only Singlish
, and befriends his younger sister May Lin. Wing also learns harsh truths about his own family along the way.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Daren Shiau
Daren Shiau
Daren Shiau , a novelist, poet, conservationist and lawyer in private practice qualified in Singapore, England and Wales, has been described by The Arts Magazine as "among the most exciting of the post-1965 generation of writers" and cited by the travel guide Lonely Planet: Malaysia, Singapore and...
, first published by SNP Editions in 1999. The book won the 1998 Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award and is Shiau's debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
. The book is now selected as a set text for GCE 'O' and 'N' levels.
Plot introduction
The narrative follows the coming-of-age story of Wing Seng, a young ethnic Chinese at the threshold of adulthood. The novel starts when he is eighteen years old, in his second year of his junior collegeJunior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
and facing enlistment into national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. Wing Seng has two good friends in junior college: Sham, an Indian, and Audrey, a female friend. He starts a relationship with schoolmate and environmentalist, Chloe, but finds her upper middle class background clashes with his more modest one.
Eventually he is enlisted and undergoes the gruelling three-month Basic Military Training at Pulau Tekong
Pulau Tekong
Pulau Tekong is the second largest of Singapore's outlying islands with an area of 24.43 km², and the island is still expanding due to land reclamation works on its southern and northwestern coasts which will eventually subsume many of its surrounding small islets, including Pulau Tekong...
. He makes friend with Yong, a lower middle-class boy who speaks only Singlish
Singlish
Colloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
, and befriends his younger sister May Lin. Wing also learns harsh truths about his own family along the way.