These are just some of the intriguing tales you’ll encounter in a new short story anthology from local publisher Fixi Novo. And don’t be deceived by its title: while it may be called “Stories You Will Never Read”, everybody can read and enjoy this e-book for free.
The compilation features stories from 12 students of the Faculty of Cinematic Arts (FCA) of Multimedia University, Cyberjaya.
The authors are Muhammad Izhan Khidzual Nizar, Miaw Farrah Anne, Dhia Nafisa Jasmin, Koo Hui Yin, Ian Chao Vui Chen, Ku Aziq Adam Ku Azhar, Ahmad Muqri Azlan, Ma Jian Wei, Muhammad Akmal Mohd Ariff, Prianneka Suresh Daniel, Tan Zheng and Vimaleshvaran Sangkar.
They are members of Generation Z, with the oldest currently 23 years old. This free e-book is edited and illustrated by Megan Wonowidjoyo, with a foreword from author Chuah Guat Eng.
“The book is a great way to discover the heartbeat of the new generation. We can read what interests them, what questions they think about. For those who read this, I hope it helps connect them with what is important to the young people of today,” said Wonowidjoyo.
She added that the genesis of the e-book was “Mythology and Story-telling”, an intensive two-week course which Chuah conducted for FCA foundation students from 2018-2021.
Students were tasked with writing a story within one week: Chuah had been delighted by many of the submissions, and mooted the idea of compiling them.
Chuah, who is widely known as Malaysia’s first woman English-language novelist, said she had been pleasantly surprised by the sensitivity in her students’ works.
“There was a great deal of humanity shown in their stories. They were writing about bad things that happened to people, but with a great deal of understanding for people of their age,” she said.
She added that she hoped the writers realised just how creative they were, and did not “just make the same kind of films Hollywood always makes.”
The twelve tales in “Stories You Will Never Read” cover a wide spectrum of human experiences, from family conflicts and unrequited love to death and corruption.
Dhia Nafisa’s “11:11”, for example, is a poignant tale of childish innocence in the wake of heart-breaking tragedy.
Meanwhile, the uniquely-titled “Power is a Throwing Hand in the Name of Christ” by Tan Zheng explores fanaticism and abuse of power from the perspective of a youth trying to fit in with society.
One of the collection’s more moving stories is Ku Aziq Adam’s “What’s Going On, Aliya?” about two young people who must deal with the tough consequences of their actions.
“Writing this helped me really discover Malaysian stories. I realised they don’t need to be so traditional, or just be typical folklore. They can be about things we face in our lives, our daily experiences. And those are the stories we should be telling,” said Ku Aziq, 21.
Koo Hui Yin, on the other hand, combined objects from her family’s history with elements from a writing assignment for “What Killed Her”, a story about a man’s frayed relationship with his mother.
“We read a lot of stories from different cultures in Dr Chuah’s class, and it really opened up a new avenue for me. It made me realise I wanted to write something connected to my culture and landscape,” said Koo, 21.
Indeed, the collection’s young authors were delighted to be published, and to be part of this esteemed collection.
“I used to write a lot of stories when I was a kid. My mum kept saying I should publish them. So, I’m really happy now,” Kuching-born Miaw Farrah Anne, 21, author of the dark war tale “Victors”, said with a laugh. “I think if I were to tell my eight-year-old self what happened today, she wouldn’t believe me!”
‘Stories You Will Never Read’ can be downloaded here.