READERS GUIDE

*NOTE: These discussion questions contain some spoilers! We suggest you finish the book before you read through them.
1. What does the novel say about the power of names as they relate to identity? We meet our narrator as “Ophir,” but we know that she has survived by adopting many names and identities over the course of the years she’s been on the run. How do these seemingly surface-level reinventions shape her sense of self? Why do you think we, as the reader, are never told her real name?
2. Ophir flees Singapore initially to escape imprisonment for her crimes. By the time she starts telling us her story, do you think she considers herself to be truly free? What are the costs of freedom and what toll does it take on her?
3. Ophir is mixed-race, with Indian, Chinese, Malay, Arab, and Eurasian ethnic backgrounds. How is Ophir’s racial identity seen and treated differently when she’s in different countries? What ideas is the book exploring around visibility and assimilation?
4. How does Ophir’s life on the run mirror or distort the more expected immigrant experience? In what ways does the novel complicate and challenge traditional narratives about migration and belonging?
5. Seemingly against her best efforts, Ophir forms connections that are romantic, platonic, and familial over the course of her years on the run. Who are the most important figures in her life during this time? Is she able to create genuine connections with these people? What do her experiences with them teach her about how she wants to build her life going forward?
6. Accents and language play a big part in the novel, from Ophir’s voice acting, to her using and hearing different accents aboard, to working as a translator. How does language act as a tether to home throughout the novel? In what ways do Singlish and Malay act as emotional triggers?
7. Why do you think Ophir tells her story through the form of a podcast? How does this format fit within the tradition of oral storytelling? Do you think you experienced the story differently reading it on the page versus listening to the audiobook?
8. As the podcast audience grows and media frenzy builds, how does public attention affect the telling of her story? Does having an audience empower or threaten her? What do you think the novel is saying about true-crime culture, especially for the people who are living through it?
9. Ophir is up-front about the crimes she commits and doesn’t shy away from recounting selfish actions on her part, yet it’s hard not to feel for her. At what points did you feel most aligned or most conflicted with Ophir’s choices? What do you think the book is saying about living life on your own terms, whether or not others agree with you?
10. Ophir’s longing for “home” is clear throughout her story, as seen through her memories of her family and homeland, and through how she reacts to meeting Singaporeans abroad. Given that, why do you think she decides not to return to Singapore at the end of the novel? How does Ophir’s understanding of home evolve over time?
11. We’re told from the beginning that Ophir is going to omit identifying details but she’s finally going to tell her real story. Besides the details that have been changed, do you think she’s telling the whole truth—to us and to herself? Do you feel like we really know her by the end or do you think there’s still a layer of masking and performance?