Pulse

by Lydia Kwa

Key Porter Books

  ~ Review in Halifax Herald, June 2010

Natalie was raised in Singapore.  Her parents immigrate to Toronto when she is a teenager and she becomes an acupuncturist, incorporating east and west influences easily into her practice.  But her heart is closed and her life feels not quite complete. 

           

Natalie is a complicated character.  She is a dutiful daughter who walks the line between two cultures.  She takes care of her aging parents, while using online chat rooms to play out a sexuality that is offbeat and compelling.  She can defend herself using acupuncture pressure points.  She seems contained, even aloof, but when Selim, the son of her first lover with whom she has developed a surprising connection, commits suicide in Singapore, she is knocked off balance. 

She returns to Singapore and emotions surge back to the surface along with old demons not yet vanquished, as she is forced to confront her carefully repressed childhood.

Kwa’s writing is like a visual flow, pulling her readers in.  The tactile world of Singapore from Natalie’s childhood flows on the pages, vibrant and mysterious.  Kwa’s careful plotting ekes out enough information to keep us turning the pages while never crossing the line into predictability.

Lydia Kwa was born in Singapore and immigrated to Canada in 1980, where she practices psychology. She has published one book of poetry and three novels.  She lives and works in Vancouver, BC.