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A Mild Case of Mass Hysteria
Felix Cheong
  • Published: 28 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9789815266337
  • Imprint: PRH SEA
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $24.99

A Mild Case of Mass Hysteria

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A satire about a curious mass hysteria gripping Singapore men in 1967

In 1967, a curious phenomenon has Singapore in its vice-like grip. Over 500 men end up in hospitals seeking treatment for a phantom condition—their manhood is shrinking.

Welcome to the koro epidemic, when real men go to great lengths to recover their virility—or what they thought they had lost.

Against this backdrop are three young men dealing with the mass hysteria. There is Su Tang, a newbie gangster operating in Chinatown. He falls in love with Yin, a hooker who belongs to Ang Hor Tiap, the only all-women gang known in Singapore. But she rebuffs his advances.

There is Wee Tiong, a young doctor recently returned from his medical studies in the UK. Yet to come out of his closet, he struggles to live up to his mother’s wishes for him to find a nice girl to settle down with before her death.

And there is James Yang, a young layabout conscripted into the army. Resentful of the regimented life at first, he finds his purpose in the machismo of guns and drills.

Comic and relatable, A Mild Case of Mass Hysteria explores how their lives—reflective of the different classes in Singapore—pan out in a young country which, too, has hang-ups about its shortcomings.
  • Published: 28 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9789815266337
  • Imprint: PRH SEA
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $24.99
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About the author

Felix Cheong

Felix Cheong is the bestselling author of 29 books across different genres, from poetry to fiction, from children's picture books to young adult fiction. Two of his graphic novels, Goh Keng Swee: A Singaporean for All Seasons and The Showgirl and the Minister were among the top five bestsellers in Amazon Singapore. Conferred the Young Artist Award in 2000 by the National Arts Council, Felix has been invited to writers festivals all over the world, such as Edinburgh, Austin, Sydney and Christchurch. He holds a masters in creative writing and is currently a university adjunct lecturer. Ritwick Roy and Riddhi Trivedi run a boutique studio where, as content creator and communication designer, they have worked with big names such as Volkswagen, Honda, Samsung, Coca Cola and other global brands, They have also worked with publishers such as Puffin, Hachette, Harper Collins and MacMillan. Their first children's picture book, Arc of Feathers, was published in 2022. Their collaboration with Felix Cheong, a 10-page comics titled Life Sentence, will be published in Cheong's upcoming book, Vanishing Point.
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