Cosy Malaysian novel offers a heartwarming exploration of family traditions

Tay describes herself as both an outsider and strongly Sarawakian, a perspective that can feel like imposter syndrome but also made it easier to write a story set in Kuching. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star

Fair warning: do not read Janet Tay’s Early Mornings At The Laksa Cafe late at night, or else you will be desperately craving a piping hot bowl of laksa when all the shops have already closed.

Set in Kuching, Sarawak, Tay’s debut novel follows Lim Ah Hock, the proprietor of a simple, but popular laksa hawker shop on Carpenter Street, a narrow, busy lane filled with colonial-era charm and traditional shophouses.