'Startlingly poetic and impressive' Independent 'A vivid coming-of-age debut . . . brilliant' Guardian 'Witty, moving and richly evocative . . . a milestone in South East Asian literature' Tash Aw, author of Five Star Billionaire It is 2003, and in the sweltering heat of Singapore sixteen-year-olds Szu and Circe develop an intense friendship. For Szu it offers an escape from Amisa, her beautiful, cruel mother - once an actress and now the silent occupant of their rusty house. But for Circe, their friendship does the opposite, bringing her one step closer to the fascinating, unknowable Amisa. Seventeen years later, Circe finds herself adrift and alone. And then a project comes up at work, a remake of the cult seventies horror film series 'Ponti', the same series that defined Amisa's short-lived film career. Suddenly Circe is knocked off balance: by memories of the two women she once knew, by guilt, and by a lost friendship that threatens her conscience . . . 'Radiant,