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What the Tongue Remembers
  • Published: 25 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9789815362442
  • Imprint: PRH SEA
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $29.99

What the Tongue Remembers

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What the tongue remembers, the world would rather forget

What the tongue remembers, time cannot erase.

Jealousy, longing, betrayal, and faith simmer in a tantalizing collection of eleven short stories of Malayalee women in Singapore, each at crossroads in life, each stirring a pot of nostalgia and desire as they prepare comforting dishes for their loved ones.

In the kitchens of the meticulous Anusha Menon, the fearless Chellamma, and the gentle Aysha Rahman, the scent of Kerala's rich culinary heritage lingers through recipes passed down through generations, spices carrying whispers of home. And in another corner of the city, Lilykutty Verghese holds the last hours of her marriage tenderly, learning that endings have their own kind of hunger.

Yet, as their hands craft meals steeped in tradition, their hearts wrestle with unfulfilled cravings. No dish, no matter how lovingly prepared, can quell their deepest hunger—the hunger to love and to be loved.
  • Published: 25 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9789815362442
  • Imprint: PRH SEA
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $29.99
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About the author

Anitha Devi Pillai

Dr Anitha Devi Pillai is a Senior Lecturer at National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University where she teaches courses on creative writing, writing pedagogy and academic writing. She is an avid reader and writer and has published short stories, essays and poems. She is particularly interested in themes related to culture, heritage and Asian communities. Anitha has also written and edited six books including From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community (2017) for which she was awarded the Pravasi Express Research Excellence Award in 2017. Some of her other books are From Estate to Embassy: Memories of an Ambassador (2019), A View of Stars: Stories of Love (2020), The Story of Onam (in press) and translated a Tamil novel to English, Sembawang: A Novel (2020). She is currently working on her own collection of short stories titled How do you Want your Dumplings? Stories of Food and Love.
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