Malacca : A Romance

This fascinating novella is a farrago of tales, of forbidden love in the palace, spice gardens, aphrodisiac recipes, secret trysts, lovemaking in the woods, and the culinary skills of a celebrated beauty with a super startle. Set in exotic, cosmopolitan old Melaka, with an offshore brothel, after its fall in 1511 to the Portuguese forces, the author’s fecund and lively historical imagination recreates the role of the famed Portuguese apothecary Tome Pires (author of Suma Oriental) as a coign of vantage. While collecting indigenous knowledge on the fabled and fallen kingdom and on spices, herbs, common cures and love potions, he listens in to these marvellous tales from a couple of colourful local characters. The author’s descriptive power skilfully evokes nostalgia of a bygone age and impresses with her rich knowledge of Melaka’s history.