Sisters in Paradise

Description

The book told the story of Simon Lee, the son of a prostitute living in Lorong 5, Geylang, a red light district in Singapore in the 50s and 60s. He suffered humiliation throughout his young life, maltreated by his own family members. He worked hard, determined to make a life for himself, and in the end managed to come to terms with his depressive past and moved on in life.

The novel described the very nature of society at various levels, even within the family circle; of human courage, conflicting relationships, betrayal and deceit. The story covered real life situation in Batam, a mere half hour ferry journey across the Riau Straits from Singapore. The island has become a popular sexual retreat for young and old Singaporean males from students in school uniforms to wobbling grandfathers with walking stick looking for cheap sexual adventures taking advantage of strong Singapore dollar against the Indonesian rupiah. Batam is a paradise island for sexual adventure for Singapore customers. Meanwhile the booming sex industry is filled with tears, heartbreak, betrayal and exploitation for the villagers born into a life of poverty and misfortune.