Sugrabread by Balli Kaur Jaswal is an amazing read! It lets you dive head-first into experiencing the challenges that we in the Sikh/Punjabi community of Singapore face, and feel the emotions involved in dealing with family, community and religion.

(Picture from Epigram Books)

The challenges faced by the main character, Pin, and her mother would echo strongly with many in our community. Making sense of our identity in Singapore has been an ongoing exploration with the same questions being asked by each successive generation. The hurdles that Pin and her family face are not easy and remind us to never take what we have for granted.

Much about the story has already been covered by the The Straits Times and Asia Samachar, as well as the book’s publisher Epigram Books. Do check out the links to find out more about Sugarbread. 

In the short time since it has been published, Sugarbread has already collected a bunch of accolades:

  • Finalist for the 2015 Epigram Books Fiction Prize
  • Shortlisted for the Singapore Book Awards 2017 (Best Fiction Title)
  • Shortlisted for the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards 2016 English (Adult) Books category
  • The Straits Times Book Of The Month (August 2016)

You can also check out the book trailer by Epigram Books which features an interview with Balli.

Kudos to Balli for gifting us with such a wondrous work and we look forward to more literary masterpieces from her!