Book Review: Gone Case: A Graphic Novel Book 1

Gone Case is a graphic novel written by Dave Chua and illustrated by Koh Hong Teng. The story is actually from Dave Chua's earlier novel, which won the Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1996. Now it has been adapted into a graphic novel.

The story is based in Singapore, looks at the life of 12-year-old Yong growing up in a Housing Development Board (HDB) estate - just like most other Singaporeans. He has to juggle between preparing for exams, taking care of his younger brother and do some household chores. Meanwhile, things are not well at home either. His mum and dad aren't really getting along well, somewhere along his grandmother passes away, and he still has to go to school.

The story and the art manage to capture the many facets of what life is like growing up in Singapore. If you're a Singaporean, many of the little details will strike close to heart. It's nostalgic looking at Yong having a haircut at an old-style neighborhood barber shop, attending to his grandmother's funeral or even hanging out at the HDB playground.

Kudos to the unflinching realistic storytelling. Nice book.

The book is sold locally in Singapore. If you're overseas, you can look for the book with the ISBN number 9789810873905. More information on the book is available at gonecasecomic.wordpress.com.