A sombre take on Nation's birthday
How would a young nation respond to a bomb going off on the MRT?
Trying to answer this sensitive and difficult question inspired Mr Andre Yeo to write his debut novel, 9th of August, which explores the idea of a terrorist attack in Singapore.
The New Paper news editor, 46, said: "Reading about attacks around the world in places like Paris and Berlin, I asked myself what if this were to happen in Singapore?"
A finalist for the 2017 Epigram Books Fiction Prize, 9th of August deals with the impact of an increasingly terror-filled world on the relative comfort and security of Singaporeans.
Set in the year 2020, it imagines a scenario of six suicide bombers planning to attack Singapore on its 55th birthday.
Mr Yeo said: "The date is significant because if the attacks happened on National Day, Singaporeans would forever associate the date with the tragedy."
Mr Yeo, a who has been a journalist for 22 years, finished the first draft by hand. "It was going back to my roots, the feeling of putting pencil to paper," he said.
The former crime reporter said: "I went around Singapore, scouting buildings, taking pictures and notes on architecture and exits, and trying to imagine when, where and how a terrorist attack would occur.
"Going around Singapore, I realised how oblivious everyone is. Plugged into our earphones and mobile phones, we often have no idea what is happening in front of us."
Looking at events through the eyes of three individuals living interlinked lives, Mr Yeo uses the tragedy as a lens to explore themes of social cohesion and fatherhood in modern Singapore.
Mr Yeo and his wife, a 45-year-old school teacher, have four children, aged 5 to 15.
He had his children in mind while writing the book, as the three protagonists cope with their struggles of fatherhood.
Despite the nation's youth, he believes that Singaporeans are mature enough to band together and not allow racial or religious differences to overwhelm our hard-earned peace.
"When tragedy strikes, it will probably be someone of a different social background, religion or race who will save your life," he said.
The book is on sale at $26.64 at major bookstores.
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