''Peculiar Chris'' is a novel which deals with gay themes by Johann S. Lee, published in Singapore by Cannon International in 1992. Lee wrote the book, his first novel, while doing his National Service in Singapore at the age of 19. It was published a year later. The book recounts the coming of age, and coming out, of Chris through his experience with the deaths of his father and his lover Samuel, the latter from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. Chris meets his first lover, Kenneth, in Singapore, where Kenneth has traveled from Indonesia to study; he meets his second lover, Jack, in Sydney after he travels to Australia to come out, and leaves for London, the birthplace of '' Maurice'', after Samuel's death. It is also noteworthy for documenting how the military bureaucracy reacts when a soldier comes out in Singapore. The book was translated into Italian in 1997, under the shortened title of 'Chris'. Singaporean playwright

Alfian Sa'at Alfian bin Sa'at (born 18 July 1977), best known as Alfian Sa'at, is a prolific Singaporean playwright, poet, and writer. He is known for penning a body of plays, poems, and prose that often tackle issues considered taboo in the island-state, ...

adapted the novel into the play ''Happy Endings: Asian Boys Vol. 3''. It was staged by

W!LD RICE W!LD RICE, founded in 2000 by Ivan Heng, is a professional theatre company in Singapore. In 2019, the company established a permanent performance venue at Funan Mall. History The first show by W!LD RICE was held at Jubilee Hall in Raffles Hotel ...

, a Singapore theatre company, from 11 to 29 July 2007. It was reprinted in 2008.

References

Novels with gay themes Singaporean novels 1992 novels LGBT culture in Singapore Novels set in Singapore 1990s LGBT novels {{1990s-LGBT-novel-stub