Palace of Ghosts: Singapore's Untold History

The starting point for my discovery of Tyersall was a map. I’d like to say it was an antique map retrieved from the bowels of a hidden library: something that Dan Brown might have written about, or an adventure that Indiana Jones might have inadvertently got involved in. However, to me it was more intriguing. It was an online map that I was studying but for a completely unrelated purpose. As I moved my cursor across a patch of forest that I was planning to jog around, I was surprised to see an unusual name pop up and a symbol that indicated a building of historical significance.  It was so unexpected. Having lived in Singapore for 16 years and paying a great deal of attention to its history and architectural heritage, I thought I was aware of most of its important historical sites and buildings. Here was something right next door to where I lived that I had missed and that appeared to be forgotten. The name was “Istana Woodneuk”, and I knew enough Malay to understand that “Istana” ...

This is a question I am often asked. It is also one that I have also pondered at length. It took me a while to work through the reasons, but I only did so after I had completed the first manuscript. My thought process did not follow a logical, sequential trajectory. I did not, for example, initially identify the reasons I might embark on such a course of action, then weigh up the pros and cons, and then evaluate whether or not to proceed. Rather it was fact a gut feeling. I had to write the story, and the more I researched, the stronger that instinct became. It was only tens of thousands of written words later that I attempted to rationalise why I had done it. The main reasons are those I have set out below. But it’s not an exhaustive list, and I may well come back to these points in a later post. The lure of an untold story . I believe that it is possible to sense history even if there appears to be a gap in the record and you don't know what the missing detail is. There is a deep...

What should readers expect when they begin their journey through the pages of Palace of Ghosts ? Palace of Ghosts is a narrative history, sometimes referred to as a creative work of nonfiction, or historical nonfiction. It tells a chapter of history that appears to have been overlooked, but not completely undocumented. Some of the events and characters have been written about before, but often compartmentalised into their particular era. As such there is no existing or obviously explained link between them all. Their moments in the grand arc of historic storytelling seem to be isolated from one another. But in the truth, they are not; they are very much connected to each other. The story arc of Palace of Ghosts looks past the artificial truncations that various administrations over the centuries make from time to time, each peddling their own version of official history. As we consider how the present engages with the past, and the how past influences the future, todays’ residents of...

Welcome to the official Blog for my book Palace of Ghosts . This series of posts are going to be timed for the prelaunch and post launch of Palace of Ghosts : Singapore's Untold History. They are intended to provide readers with information about the author, about the creation of the book and a look behind the scenes that will provide additional and rich content related to the book's characters, events, locations. I intend to add news stories and other items that may arise and that turn out to be linked to the story. In the heart of Singapore there is a patch of heavily forested land: it is private property and strictly off limits. Anyone caught trespassing risks arrest and a heavy fine. It is a strange and inaccessible place that harbours secrets and mystery. One of the biggest mysteries is why it is even there? Singapore has the third highest population density of any country in the world. It is severely land constrained and the government is pretty good at managing what land...