PLACE OF POWER

One of the most influential literary voices in Singapore, acclaimed novelist and short story writer Amanda Lee Koe talks conformity, the power of representation, and smashing social dichotomies in her works—including her new book Sister Snake

- Nafeesa Saini

Amanda Lee Koe lounges gracefully on a rock in a green gown, a diamond‑and‑emerald necklace crowning her décolletage. Her hair, freshly tinted in blonde and black (a nod to her beloved villain Cruella de Vil, perhaps), is styled into a sleek chignon with faux bangs. Juxtaposing this is her in a white dress with a more elegant, slicked‑back do, exuding a decidedly more benevolent vibe. These contrasting personas depicted in the previous spread—and indeed, throughout this shoot, where she is styled only in green and white ensembles—are a deliberate embodiment of the duality in her new novel, Sister Snake, which is set to launch later this year.

Lee Koe herself, might we mention, has many facets and defies easy classification. The 36‑year‑old, who is in Singapore for two months with a schedule that includes this cover shoot and a trek into Ulu Pandan’s wilderness to verify a jungle scene in her book, is a former riot grrrl (a feminist punk subculture). An award‑winning novelist and short story writer. A kink‑club‑visiting, thrift‑store‑shopping self‑appointed “city rat” who lives in New York and Singapore, who loves her Brooklyn neighbourhood butchery as much as she loves her dim sum from Swee Choon.

The backdrop of some of the images in this story is a diorama that animates an epic scene from the Chinese folk tale Legend of the White Snake. The display is one of more than 150 in Haw Par Villa, a cultural park that depicts portrayals of Chinese folklore and myths rooted in traditional standards of morality, and elements from Buddhism and other religions. Established in 1937 by Tiger Balm’s co‑creator Aw Boon Haw, the park melds the weird and the wonderful.