The Angel of Changi and Other Stories by Goh Sin Tub Search Amazon for other books by or about Goh Sin Tub. Rating: Reviewed by: John Walsh

The Angel of Changi was Mrs Mary Seah, who was a terrifically brave woman who risked everything for the sake of bringing some sustenance and hope for the Australian POWs captured by Japanese troops during WWII. Her story is little known to those outside of the immediate events and deserves to be more widely known. The same could be said for many of the other characters in Goh Sin Tub's now posthumously released collection of short fiction. They include the almost nameless Chinese subjects of Singapore and the many migrants whose labour has helped to build up that island city state. In a series of short and simple tales, Goh Sin Tub outlines the different ways in which the characters interact with each other, most commonly with a moralistic intention in mind. Goh Sin Tub was a staunch Christian, among other things, and his fiction reflects a combination of silent perseverance in the face of suffering and the restorative nature of karma. As is traditional for Singapore, the supernatural is never far away and a sense of ghosts as (so to speak) tangible presences adds to the weight of history which informs the actions and intentions of the different characters.

This collection reveals quite a lot about the author, from his early career under the Japanese occupation to his work in the civil service and then in the private sector and the great success that he had. The level of prominence and fame that he achieved as an individual may be judged by the fact that cover blurbs are provided by luminaries such as the Australian High Commissioner, Singaporean Speaker of Parliament and Minister of State for Education. It does appear that the author was a virtuous man and the stories, which frankly are not very good, do seem to pay testament to this. Since they are mostly very short, then they are easy enough to read and do not cause any great offence – on the other hand, they are simplistic and moralistic and so too many read at once can provide a little indigestion. However, readers interested in the social history of Singapore might find some value in this collection.