"The Story Game" by Shze-Hui Tjoa

We are thrilled to announce the Southeast Asia release of The Story Game, the debut memoir by Shze-Hui Tjoa, which has been lauded for its genre-defying form and emotional depth. Originally published in the US and Canada, the book was named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 by Electric Literature and Paste Magazine.

Credit for the book's exterior and interior design goes to SWELL.

Hailed as “a piercing tribute to selfhood and sisterhood,” The Story Game invites readers into a humid, eucalyptus-scented room where Hui, the narrator, lies on a mattress telling stories to a little girl. As the conversation unfolds, so too does a remarkable narrative—one that explores identity, memory, mental health, and cultural belonging. What emerges is a masterfully layered memoir that mirrors the author’s own healing journey through complex PTSD and her reconstruction of a fractured self.

Author photo taken by Ivan Weiss

Blending memoir with elements of fiction, The Story Game is both intimate and experimental—a fearless exploration of what it means to reclaim one’s past through narrative. Tjoa is one of the region’s most exciting voices, and we are so proud to give this deeply Southeast Asian novel a home in the region. It is one of the most inventive books we've ever come across; a remarkable singular work that challenges the boundaries of genre and form.

The book has received strong praise from voices across Southeast Asia’s literary community. Writer and translator Jeremy Tiang (State of Emergency, Delicious Hunger) describes it as “a unique memoir that constantly undermines and reworks itself as it braids together episodes from the author's life.” Author Jemimah Wei (The Original Daughter) calls the memoir “an act of courage, confrontation, and intimacy rendered in beautiful, lucid prose.” Poet Lawrence Ypil (The Experiment of The Tropics) praises Tjoa for writing “a book that understands that stories are built out of erasure and silence, but they are also made from a relentless belief in transformation”. Writer and editor Daryl Qilin Yam (Be Your Own Bae) adds: “Reading The Story Game is nothing short of an immense privilege. Shze-Hui Tjoa writes with her heart on her sleeve and the sanctity of her soul risked on every page.” 

A huge thank you to Tjoa for her trust in us in publishing this Southeast Asia edition, and to SWELL for their vision for the book cover art and interior design of this inventive and moving memoir.

The Story Game will be available in Singapore from 24 June 2025 at Kinokuniya, Book Bar, Wardah Books, Wormhole, Knuckles & Notch, City Book Room, and Sea Breeze Books, retailing at SGD 30 (excluding GST). The e-book edition will also be available via major e-book platforms from late June. We are working on distributing this book across bookshops in Southeast Asia.