{"product_id":"after-the-inquiry","title":"After the Inquiry","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePraise\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 class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ePolice sergeant Hafiz lies in a coma after a gunshot to the head. The investigation by Internal Affairs uncovered a game of Russian roulette gone wrong, and the case is now closed. But there are rumbles of concern in the Ministry, and middle-aged civil servant Boon Teck—assisted by young colleague Nithya—is dispatched to take another look.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eSuffused with mystery and intrigue, \u003ci\u003eAfter the Inquiry \u003c\/i\u003esteps into the mirror maze of Singapore’s bureaucracy, where silvered surfaces hide troubling secrets and those who search for the truth risk getting lost…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eAfter the Inquiry \u003c\/i\u003elays bare the human cost of Singapore's much-vaunted stability, and asks who must be thrown overboard in order for the boat not to be rocked. Using the format of a government inquiry into a violent incident, Jolene Tan carries out her own investigation into the machinations of state apparatus, and presents her findings without comment -- the results speak for themselves. A masterpiece of meticulous construction, with a central character whose voice is all the more chilling for its banality.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Jeremy Tiang, author of \u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/state-of-emergency\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/state-of-emergency\"\u003eState of Emergency\u003c\/a\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e(winner of Singapore Literature Prize 2018)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e“\u003cem\u003eAfter the Inquiry\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a riveting novel that casually exposes the pitfalls of our iron-clad officialdom. Through her incisive, witty prose, Jolene Tan presents a protagonist who is so comfortably entrenched in our systems that he doesn’t know where they end and where he begins. Part mystery, part character study, this novel reminds us of the shadow narratives that run parallel to the ones we are told about Singapore society’s fine-tuned machinery.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Balli Kaur Jaswal, Author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eErotic Stories for Punjabi Widows\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Chilling in his reptilian intelligence, Jolene Tan’s protagonist brings to mind Ishiguro’s butler and Adiga’s “white tiger”.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAfter the Inquiry\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an incisive portrayal of hierarchy, (a)morality, and authoritarianism.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Jing-Jing Lee, Author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/how-we-disappeared-b-format-pos\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHow We Disappeared\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A gripping novel, both a thriller and an examination into the dark soul of Singaporean bureaucracy. Written in the form of a series of reports, it demonstrates how cool, surgical language can rationalise even the most violent prejudices. A chilling and unforgettable portrait of a functionary who has found all the ways to checkmate his own conscience.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Alfian Sa’at, Resident Playwright of Wild Rice and Author of \u003ca aria-describedby=\"a11y-new-window-message\" href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/corridor-12-short-stories-pos?_pos=1\u0026amp;_sid=341db1d17\u0026amp;_ss=r\" title=\"Corridor\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCorridor\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMalay Sketches\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJolene Tan \u003c\/b\u003eis a writer from Singapore, whose fiction includes the novel \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/a-certain-exposure\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/a-certain-exposure\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Certain Exposure\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, short fiction published in \u003ci\u003eThe Manchester Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and a children's picture book, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/saturdays-surprisingly-super-duper-lesson\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/saturdays-surprisingly-super-duper-lesson\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSaturday's Surprisingly Super-Duper Lesson\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. She has also written numerous non-fiction articles, principally on equality and human rights, for publications such as \u003ci\u003eNew Naratif\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Online Citizen, The F Word\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Birthday Book\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCNA \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Straits Times\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Ethos Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39291532673137,"sku":"9789811466878","price":19.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/products\/AftertheInquiry.jpg?v=1616650629","url":"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/after-the-inquiry","provider":"Epigram","version":"1.0","type":"link"}