Debut book sauces up complex interplay of romance, race and M'sian realities

Karina’s 'The Accidental Malay' is a subversive and highly enjoyable book that also won the regional Epigram Fiction Prize 2022. Photos: Karina Robles Bahrin/Epigram

It would’ve been easy for Karina Robles Bahrin’s debut novel The Accidental Malay to be outshined by its provocative premise.

Thankfully, that is not the case. Why? Simply put, Karina subverts expectations. In the book, the main character Jasmine Leong has always been in the spotlight.