Description
When a talented young artist captures the attention of the art world, forces beyond her control align. Power plays pit money, ideals and families against the inner workings of a competitive and closed art world.
In his debut fi ction, Woon Tai Ho gives us an insider’s look into the creative world he knows well. Set in modern-day Singapore, and drifting between worlds, Riot Green tells a gripping tale that draws on rich Chinese traditions and beliefs. It puts the spotlight on the institution of family, the jade of green that is supposed to protect us, but can prove to be a riot of heartaches and secrets. It is a story of ties that bind and those that divide. Like an abstract painting that buffers the obvious, the story unravels deftly to show love and conspiracies, harmony and con flict, chaos and order.
Praises
“An accurate, intriguing and engaging first-time novel about the cut-throat art world in Singapore and Asia. Tai Ho has carefully woven a tale of deception and cunning, laying bare the dark side of collecting. Being a collector myself, he has hit the nail on the head! A great read!”
Woffles Wu, Director/Curator, The Maosoleum
MuCCAS, the Museum of Contemporary Chinese Art, Singapore
“Woon’s debut into fiction stands at the cultural crossroad of modernity and tradition. Using the voice and art of a prodigy, Woon shows that beneath the fascination of the art lay a treacherous landscape. His prose, like the bright colours of a canvas, lifts. Through Riot Green, Woon cuts through the abstract, showing his understanding of the creative presence and the limitless dimensions the mind traverses.”
Alex Soh, Author/Lecturer
“A thrilling page-turner that shimmers with the sights and sounds of Singapore — a bold, brassy debut novel.”
Tash Aw, author of award-winning novel The Harmony Silk Factory
“Riot Green is a distinctly Singaporean story, one where opposite worlds — earthly and supernatural, modern and traditional — breathlessly collide.”
xinmsn.com
“What a significant step-up in quality this Singaporean book is. We are entering an age where Singaporean writers are daring to present the Singapore culture in ever-bolder canvases and stories.”
Otto Fong, Writer/Teacher
“To say Riot Green is a page-turner is NOT an overstatement. The intrigue, drama, characters meshed against two juxtaposed worlds. Unputdownable!”
Florence Lian, Managing Director, MediaCorp Radio
“Riot Green is dazzling and insightful. I am touched and engrossed by its unique local flavour that is strangely also universal. I cannot put it down.”
Desmond Tan, MediaCorp Artist
“I am hooked! Picking it up to read every moment I can, diverting my attention away from my two babies, even if it’s for three minutes.”
Suzanne Jung, News Presenter, Channel NewsAsia
“Riot Green steps into the enthralling world of Chinese spirituality set against a breathtaking canvas of human avarice and physiological manipulation. Woon has given us the ultimate backdoor pass into the underbelly of the art world in Asia. A fascinating read on many levels.”
Jordan River, The Fragrant Man
