The first 19 stories in the collection trace the countless experiences and escapades of Ah Leong, inextricably interwined with those of his family and friends. As the stories develop, Ah Leong comes of age–he gets a job, falls in love, enlists in National Service, and learns, often with youthful ingenuity and zeal, how to sidestep some of life’s complications.

This book also includes two prizewinning stories: ‘Campfire’ won 2^nd prize in the 1983 National Short Story Writing Competition, and ‘Evening Under Frangipani’ won 1^st prize in the same competition in 1985. Both stories effectively explore the vulnerability of first love and the emptiness that follows.

Philip Jeyaretnam, born and bred in Singapore, spent part of his education in England, including 3 years at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He is a Senior Counsel and an award-winning writer. Best known for his best sellers, First Loves and Raffles Place Ragtime, he has won prestigious local and international awards for his writing, including the Airey Neave Award, Southeast Asia Write Award, and the National Book Development Council Highly Commended Book Award. He is the recipient of the Cultural Medallion Young Artist Award in 1993.