Book review: 2 Snakes Whistling at the Same Time

THIS collection of 13 short stories offers a mix of sad, funny, confounding and bittersweet tales.
They are mostly based on the author’s real-life experiences, some of which will resonate with what readers had experienced.
The first story, Eyes Sewn Shut, is about a woman trying to keep her emotions in check while arranging her father’s funeral, but must still deal with irritating relatives.
The other stories include the title story, Two Snakes Whistling at the Same Time, which deals with office politics; Ammachi, Bitter Sweet which pays tribute to a loved one; The Brahmin Child about strange arguments, and Unholy Deal about people who expect you to work for free.
Most of the stories are set in Alor Star, Kedah, author Aneeta Sundararaj’s hometown. As she does not reign in her emotions in the telling of her stories, that helps us relate to them.
In her own way, she reminds us that we are not alone with our problems.