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Winner of the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

Nora grows up believing in neat routes to success until life forces her off the map.

Nora does everything right. From school debates to political reporting, she grows up believing in merit, hard work and the promise of success. But over the years, careers stall, loyalties fracture and the certainties she once trusted begin to unravel. As Singapore changes, Nora begins to question the cost of keeping up with a society obsessed with forward motion.

A novel about ambition, disillusionment and the quiet compromises people make in order to belong.

“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.”
—Ratna Damayanti Taha
“Bold, incisive, and impossible to ignore, Mind the Gap challenges readers to reconsider familiar narratives and to confront the often unseen realities of life as a minority race Singaporean. Ratna Damayanti Taha writes with courage and clarity, crafting in Nora a protagonist whose wit, conviction, and resilience make her one of the most memorable voices in recent Singapore fiction. A must-read!”
—Sebastian Sim, novelist and author of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize-winning novels The Riot Act and And the Award Goes to Sally Bong!
Ratna Damayanti Taha 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 2021 Golden Point Award for Malay short story while “Resipi Warisan” was published in a Malay short story anthology by Unggun Creative, a Malay-language publisher in Singapore.

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Mind the Gap