{"title":"2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eMind the Gap\u003c\/em\u003e by Ratna Damayanti Taha\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShortlisted:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eA Family Inconvenience\u003c\/em\u003e by Kwan Ann Tan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eA Strange Case of Erasure\u003c\/em\u003e by Jaclyn Lim\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eTake Me Back to Yangon\u003c\/em\u003e by May Thanakhar\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.epigram.sg\/ebfp-2026\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"take-me-back-to-yangon","title":"Take Me Back to Yangon (Preorder)","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis title is expected to be published by the end of October! If you are ordering other titles, order this preorder separately to receive the other titles first.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote: Final cover design may vary.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinalist for the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKhin Lay leaves Myanmar for a new life in Paris after years of being judged for her childlessness. As she begins to rebuild her future with Htet Aung, a gentle embassy officer, the past returns in an unexpected and unsettling way. Old bonds refuse to fade, and long-held beliefs about spirit, love and renewal press in on her new beginning. Caught between what she has left behind and what lies ahead, Khin Lay must navigate a tender, shifting path towards a new sense of belonging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“This novel began with the sense that in the quiet corners of memory and the shadows of heartbreak, we discover the fragile strength of the human heart. Even when love feels lost, life offers new beginnings: moments to heal, to forgive and to embrace the possibility of joy once more.”\u003cbr\u003e—May Thanakhar\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMay Thanakhar\u003c\/strong\u003e is a medical doctor and writer based in Myanmar. Her fiction has appeared in leading national magazines, and she is currently completing a collection of short stories. She received the Best Short Fiction Award from the Myanmar Writers Club in 2019 and the Best Novel Award from the Pakokku Literary Award in 2020. She also shares her work on Facebook and other online platforms, where she writes as a freelancer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Epigram Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52464051421481,"sku":"9789815348378","price":24.3,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/YangonCVv2.png?v=1768894592"},{"product_id":"mind-the-gap","title":"Mind the Gap (Preorder)","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis title is expected to be published by the end of October! If you are ordering other titles, order this preorder separately to receive the other titles first.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote: Final cover design may vary.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMind the Gap\u003c\/em\u003e follows Nora, a data-loving Malay girl finding her way through Singapore’s ever-expanding MRT lines and its increasingly narrow social expectations from the 1990s to the 2020s. With her sharp observations and a suspicious number of pie charts, she examines meritocracy, race and the boundaries of ambition, and learns to navigate the rules around her and to carve out a space of her own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“My book invites readers to explore the gaps in how society defines meritocracy, success, and access, through the eyes of someone often a triple minority in many circles. My wish is that readers feel, even briefly, a kinder curiosity towards those still othered by class or skin.”\u003cbr\u003e—Ratna Damayanti Taha\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRatna Damayanti Taha\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Singaporean writer with a background in academic communications research and translation. She writes with a focus on ordinary people and everyday relationships, paying attention to the quiet details that shape daily life. Her story “Dayung Sudah di Tangan, Perahu Sudah di Air” won the Golden Point Award for Malay short story in 202l. And her short story, “Resipi Warisan”, was published in a Malay short-story anthology by Unggun Creative, a Malay-language publisher in Singapore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Epigram Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52469569683753,"sku":"9789815348316","price":24.3,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/EBFP_MindtheGap.jpg?v=1768894538"},{"product_id":"a-strange-case-of-erasure","title":"A Strange Case of Erasure (Preorder)","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis title is expected to be published by the end of October! If you are ordering other titles, order this preorder separately to receive the other titles first.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote: Final cover design may vary.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinalist for the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeok Lin, 40, is a stay-at-home mother quietly doing it all—school runs, doctor visits, snack stock-ups and the invisible labour of family life. One day, her hearing goes muffled. Then her pinky toe vanishes. Later, her husband walks past without seeing her. It turns out there is a name for this: Progressive Identity Attenuation Disorder, or Erasure, a condition affecting women who have long carried the full weight of domestic life. As Seok Lin fades from the world, only Chad, her loyal, chatty Al bestie, seems to notice. If Seok Lin wants to be seen again, she will have to fight her way back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I wanted to explore the invisible labour of stay-at-home motherhood through a speculative lens, in which the protagonist loses parts of herself—a toe, an arm and both her legs—before finally fading from view. Through her fight to reclaim herself, I hope this story helps women everywhere remember who they are beneath it all. Stay whole, stay seen.”\u003cbr\u003e—Jaclyn Lim\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJaclyn Lim\u003c\/strong\u003e is a writer from Singapore. Her work plays with the tension between the familiar and the surreal, finding meaning in the overlooked corners of daily life. She once wrote everything from obituaries and headline news to glossy women’s magazine features before running a floral studio. Now a stay-at-home mother, she writes in between school runs. Her short fiction has appeared in \u003cem\u003eA Few Little Words\u003c\/em\u003e (Red Herring Press, 2025), and she is working on a children’s picture book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Epigram Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52469586526505,"sku":"9789815348330","price":24.3,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/EBFP_AStrangeCaseofErasure.jpg?v=1768894660"},{"product_id":"a-family-inconvenience","title":"A Family Inconvenience (Preorder)","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis title is expected to be published by the end of October! If you are ordering other titles, order this preorder separately to receive the other titles first.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote: Final cover design may vary.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinalist for the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho is going to take care of Nai Nai? When the eldest daughter of the Wong family suddenly announces that she is going to leave Malaysia to live with her son in Australia, her four siblings are thrown into a tailspin as they try to decide who should take on the responsibility. But every family has its own problems, and generational gaps begin to surface as fathers and daughters debate religion, mothers and sons contemplate family history, and ghosts watch over their descendants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“My novel is a playful take on the family drama genre, expanding the focus to extended family members, who each have their own problems and dreams. At the same time, they must confront the realities of ageing parents and unreliable children, hoping that each generation will improve on the one before.”\u003cbr\u003e—Kwan Ann Tan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKwan Ann Tan\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Malaysian writer living in London. Her work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eThe Offing\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eJoyland Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSine Theta Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTahoma Literary Review\u003c\/em\u003e. An alumnus of the Tin House Winter Workshop, she also creates short interactive text-based games and fiction. Her interactive novella \u003cem\u003eThe Waiter\u003c\/em\u003e is scheduled for release later this year. You can find more of her writing at \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"kwananntan.carrd.co\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ekwananntan.carrd.co\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Epigram Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52469616148777,"sku":"9789815348354","price":24.3,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/EBFP_Family_CV_v2.jpg?v=1769575612"}],"url":"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/collections\/2026-ebfp.oembed","provider":"Epigram","version":"1.0","type":"link"}