Author: Jeremy Tiang
Genre: Short Story Collection, Contemporary Fiction, SingLit
Ideal For: Readers who enjoy short stories with sharp social insight, fans of Singapore literature, and anyone curious about the complexities of everyday life in modern Singapore.
Some books feel like mirrors held up to society, revealing uncomfortable truths with quiet precision. It Never Rains on National Day by Jeremy Tiang is one such work. This collection of short stories, first published in 2015, explores the intimate and often messy lives of ordinary Singaporeans. From the domestic to the political, Tiang’s writing deftly captures the contradictions of a rapidly changing nation.
I gave this book five stars because it achieves something rare: it is both deeply rooted in Singapore’s realities and yet universally relatable. It’s a collection that rewards slow reading, reflection, and re-reading. Each story peels back a different layer of society, leaving readers with insights that linger long after the last page.
The Premise
It Never Rains on National Day is composed of 12 interconnected short stories, each set against the backdrop of Singaporean life. Tiang doesn’t shy away from the contradictions of the city-state: its gleaming skyscrapers juxtaposed with lingering inequalities, the political narratives of progress alongside the private struggles of individuals.
The stories feature a wide cast of characters—a mother who migrates, a gay man navigating identity, a woman dealing with the implications of her husband’s arrest, and more. What unites them is their quiet yearning for something more, for freedom, for belonging, for a voice in a society that often demands conformity.
Themes and Layers
1. National Identity and Disconnection
The title itself is laced with irony. Singapore’s National Day Parade has a long-standing belief that it never rains on the celebration—a statement of optimism and control. Tiang uses this symbolism to explore the cracks beneath Singapore’s polished surface. His characters often feel alienated or disconnected, even as they live within the machinery of national pride and success.
2. Family and Migration
Migration, both within and beyond Singapore, recurs as a theme. Characters grapple with the sacrifices of moving abroad for opportunity, or the difficulties of staying rooted in a country that doesn’t always reflect their personal truths. Tiang captures these dynamics with empathy, showing how migration reshapes families, marriages, and identities.
3. Politics and Control
While never heavy-handed, political undertones are present throughout the collection. From subtle references to censorship to stories about those marginalized in Singaporean society, Tiang probes at what it means to live under structures that often value efficiency over individuality.
4. Intimacy and Silence
The silences in relationships—between partners, between parents and children, between citizens and state—loom large in these stories. Tiang is masterful at capturing the quiet moments of longing and regret, where what’s left unsaid often speaks louder than dialogue.
Character Development
Although the stories are short, Tiang’s characters feel fully realised. They are not archetypes but people you might encounter on the MRT, at a hawker centre, or in a suburban flat. They are flawed, tender, angry, hopeful, and sometimes resigned.
Take, for example, the man who struggles with his sexual identity in a society that does not fully accept him. His story resonates not just as a portrait of LGBTQ+ life in Singapore but as a universal exploration of longing and invisibility. Or the wife whose husband is arrested—her perspective highlights the personal cost of politics and the quiet resilience of women navigating such upheavals.
Each character leaves an imprint, and together they form a mosaic of Singapore’s hidden stories.
Tiang’s Writing Style
Jeremy Tiang’s prose is understated yet cutting. He writes with a quiet lyricism, avoiding melodrama but never lacking in emotional impact. His sentences are carefully constructed, precise, and evocative, pulling readers into the rhythm of everyday life while hinting at the bigger forces at play.
There’s also a strong sense of place. Whether describing the humidity of Singapore evenings, the sterile air of office towers, or the complex dynamics of family gatherings, Tiang roots his stories in environments that feel both familiar and alive.
The pacing is measured, suited to reflection. Each story unfolds like a slow reveal, encouraging the reader to sit with discomfort and think beyond the page.
What Worked Exceptionally Well
1. Emotional Honesty
These stories don’t sugarcoat. Tiang isn’t interested in painting a postcard-perfect version of Singapore. Instead, he digs into the small fractures—loneliness, alienation, repression—that exist beneath the surface. This honesty is what makes the collection so powerful.
2. Breadth of Perspectives
The variety of characters and situations ensures the book never feels repetitive. From political dissidents to everyday workers, from those leaving Singapore to those staying, Tiang presents a wide spectrum of voices, making the collection a rich tapestry of experience.
3. Subtle Political Commentary
Tiang never turns the stories into overt polemic. Instead, he allows the personal to illuminate the political. The result is a nuanced, layered critique of society—one that invites reflection rather than prescribing conclusions.
Potential Challenges
For readers expecting plot-driven stories with neat resolutions, It Never Rains on National Day may feel elusive. Tiang resists tying up narratives with bows; his stories end in ambiguity, echoing real life. Personally, I found this to be one of the book’s greatest strengths, but readers who prefer conventional arcs might need to adjust expectations.
Why This Book Matters
This collection is not just an exploration of individual lives but also a meditation on what it means to be Singaporean in a rapidly globalising world. It asks difficult questions about belonging, conformity, freedom, and silence. It reflects the growing maturity of Singaporean literature—a willingness to confront complexity, to tell stories that are not always flattering but are always truthful.
Final Thoughts
Jeremy Tiang’s It Never Rains on National Day is a stunning collection of short stories that deserves a place in the canon of contemporary Singaporean literature. With quiet precision, it captures the contradictions of life in a nation celebrated for its progress but haunted by its silences.
I rated it five stars for its emotional depth, sharp social insight, and masterful prose. It’s not a book to rush through but one to savour, reflect on, and return to—each reading reveals new layers of meaning.
Highly recommended for readers of SingLit, fans of short fiction, and anyone seeking a collection that goes beyond the surface to uncover the raw, hidden stories of a nation.
Highly Recommended If You Enjoy:
- State of Emergency by Jeremy Tiang
- Ministry of Moral Panic by Amanda Lee Koe
- Ponti by Sharlene Teo
- This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn
