{"product_id":"work-life-balance","title":"Work-Life Balance: Malevolent Managers and Folkloric Freelancers","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePraise\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout the Creators\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen a menacing multinational arrives on our shores, familiar creatures like pontianaks, manananggals, raksasis, and ba jiao guis are forced out of their jobs. Some give in and sign up for mundane corporate life – but others would rather fight than join the broken-spirited hordes of the (desk)bound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBenjamin Chee’s comics and Wayne Rée’s prose intertwine in this collection to bring you familiar Asian mythology in an even more familiar setting: the realm of dead-end work, glass ceilings, and truly hellish bosses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy read this book?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWinner of \u003cem\u003eBook of the Year\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBest Literary Work\u003c\/em\u003e at the 2023 Singapore Book Awards\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA refreshing take on Southeast Asian myths in a modern-day setting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA masterful conversation between prose and comics that drives a story of an evolving Southeast Asia across generations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntricate comic artwork that reflects the story’s imaginative world-building\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA long-awaited reflection on soul-draining work culture and bosses from hell\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Think you’re stuck working with monsters in your office? Rée \u0026amp; Chee’s \u003cem\u003eWork-Life Balance\u003c\/em\u003e takes a whole new look at the possibility, using an interesting text\/comics balance rarely seen.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Paul Levitz, DC Comics President \u0026amp; Publisher from 2002–2009\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I read \u003cem\u003eWork-Life Balance\u003c\/em\u003e in one single sitting, then I went back and read all my favourite bits again! This is a tongue-in-cheek paean to the supernatural world of Asia and beyond, lovingly recreated in Benjamin Chee’s breathtakingly intricate set pieces and character designs. The story is full of fun, fast-paced action; taking a breath now and then to ponder upon all the things we (not just momoks) have to sacrifice in pursuit of making a living.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/collections\/authors\/author_meihan-boey\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMeihan Boey\u003c\/a\u003e, author of \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/the-formidable-miss-cassidy\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Formidable Miss Cassidy\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eCo-Winner of the \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e2021 Epigram Books Fiction Prize)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The power of juxtaposition is one of the strengths of graphic novels, and here comics are placed alongside prose to further provide a layered tale of identity, culture, and how we choose to define ourselves. Wayne Rée and Benjamin Chee have created a fine fantastical examination of the way communities reflect us, shape us, bring us together or tear us apart – something that isn’t very pleasant even for creatures that can segment their bodies into two.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Paolo Chikiamco, Editor of \u003cem\u003eAlternative Alamat\u003c\/em\u003e anthology and Co-Creator of \u003cem\u003eMythspace\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I’m convinced the creators of \u003cem\u003eWork-Life Balance\u003c\/em\u003e were drunk. It’s the only explanation as to how such a fantastic tale complemented by amazingly detailed art could be conceived. And by the time I was done with it, I was drunk too.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/collections\/authors\/author_elvin-ching\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eElvin Ching\u003c\/a\u003e, creator of \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/the-woodsman\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Woodsman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eWork-Life Balance\u003c\/em\u003e is both weird and wonderful, a miracle of a book that crosses several media. (It is) truly a stimulating experience for the reader: a unique amalgam of a business book on office relationships, a post-colonial treatise in a form of a mythological clash of cultures, a graphic novel, a feminist diatribe, a wuxia homage, and much more.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Judging panel, \u003cem\u003e2023 Singapore Book Awards\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBenjamin Chee\u003c\/strong\u003e created the comics and illustrations for \u003cem\u003eWork-Life Balance\u003c\/em\u003e. He enjoys mashing up genres and themes, so after making several books with titles like Charsiew Space and Lychee Queen, he ended up asking Wayne Rée for permission to adapt the wild west short story, Mr Memphis, into a Wuxia comic… leading to them making this book together. His comics are collected in \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/liquid-city\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLiquid City Volume 3\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAsian Monsters\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/sound-a-comics-anthology\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSOUND: A Comics Anthology\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. He is terrified of horror movies and hasn’t yet fully comprehended why he is part of this book with its abundance of hantu. Find him online at \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.charsiewspace.com\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ewww.charsiewspace.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWayne Rée\u003c\/strong\u003e wrote the prose for \u003cem\u003eWork-Life Balance\u003c\/em\u003e. He’s the co-creator of the comic, \u003cem\u003eWorlds Apart: A Conversation About Mental Health\u003c\/em\u003e (with Nurjannah Suhaimi), and the fan favourite audio series, \u003cem\u003eGhost Maps\u003c\/em\u003e (with Kyle Ong). His short stories have appeared in \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/collections\/series_all\/series_lontar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cem\u003eInfinite Worlds Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/collections\/series_all\/series_best-new-singaporean-short-stories\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Epigram Books Collection of Best New Singaporean Short Stories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/fish-eats-lion-redux-more-new-singaporean-speculative-fiction\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eFish Eats Lion Redux\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. He first collaborated with Benjamin Chee on \u003cem\u003eMr Memphis\u003c\/em\u003e. His least favourite job ever was when he worked as a social media manager. His favourite job ever was when he worked as a night-shift security guard. Find him online at \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.waynereewrites.com\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ewww.waynereewrites.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"PMS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39989253963889,"sku":"9789811845598","price":26.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/WLB_FA_FCV_300-A6.jpg?v=1717722494","url":"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/work-life-balance","provider":"Epigram","version":"1.0","type":"link"}