{"product_id":"hue-city","title":"Hue City","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\u003eA story on the treacherous yet rewarding path of starting over, set in the enigmatic streets of Vietnam’s former capital, Hue, and in the contrasting Southeast Asian cities of Singapore and Manila.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeet the notorious Ativan Gang, a group of scammers in Manila who befriends solo tourists, then drugs and robs them. Twenty-five-year-old Carmen Maranan is their newest member, a college dropout desperate to see her mother, Nicole, now living with her new family in Vietnam’s old capital, Hue City. When Carmen flees Manila for Hue, she meets Hai, a receptionist, tout, and part-time pimp. Ambitious and driven, Hai’s goal is to be rich and run his own hotel, a dream that feels closer when he crosses paths with Marina, a wealthy Singaporean yearning for a new life—and love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTold from the points of view of Carmen, Hai and Marina, Hue City brings you deep into the soul of Southeast Asia—from the faded, enigmatic streets of Vietnam’s former capital, to the fraught, gritty drags of Manila and the gleaming, cosmopolitan environs of Singapore—as it tells their intertwined journey towards the treacherous and sometimes heart-breaking path of starting over.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClaire Betita de Guzman\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Filipina writer based in Singapore and author of five novels: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/sudden-superstar\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSudden Superstar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMiss Makeover\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBudget is the New Black\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGirl Meets World\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eNo Boyfriend Since Birth\u003c\/em\u003e, which was adapted into a TV series. A former journalist, she started as a reporter for the broadsheet Today before becoming a lifestyle editor for international and local magazines including Cosmopolitan Philippines and Harper’s Bazaar Singapore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe works closely with the Migrant Writers of Singapore and has led talks and panels at literary events, including the Singapore Writers Festival and Poetry Festival Singapore. She studied Journalism and graduated cum laude (with honours) at the University of the Philippines. She has taken writing courses at the University of Oxford in England and was a fellow in literary workshops in Europe and Asia, including Miradoux, France, Bali, Indonesia, and Tbilisi, Georgia. She is co-author of a poetry collection, \u003cem\u003eDreaming of the Divine Downstairs\u003c\/em\u003e and is co-editor of \u003cem\u003eGet Luckier\u003c\/em\u003e, an anthology of Philippine-Singapore writings. Find her online at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.clairebetita.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ewww.clairebetita.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Times Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52825651806505,"sku":"9789815144277","price":24.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/81J6_Z8JqfL.jpg?v=1724663456","url":"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/hue-city","provider":"Epigram","version":"1.0","type":"link"}