Before the release of Agnès, Viji Krishnamoorthy's debut novel, 912 Batu Road, was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Awards 2023 (Photo: Sam Fong/The Edge)
“It’s quite a pinch-me moment,” Viji Krishnamoorthy says, tapping the orange logo next to her name on the cover of her freshly minted book, Agnès. “Penguin books were part of my childhood. They were part of my instruction, my education, so this is very surreal to see.”
There is no overstating the author-cum-bibliophile’s passion — her “Penguin Wall”, a section completely wallpapered with the spines of vintage titles from the publishing house, is proof. Upon the release of Agnès through Penguin Random House SEA, Viji finds herself among the ranks of her favourite classic writers, a milestone she still struggles to comprehend.
“I still don’t feel comfortable with the term ‘writer’ when people ask me what I do,” she grimaces. “I will still hedge. I find that a difficult word to own.”
With the release of her sophomore novel following the acclaimed 912 Batu Road published in 2021, Viji admits to still finding the experience disconcerting. However, she acknowledges an improvement in her narratives, vocabulary and thought process this time around.
One thing that remains, though, is her affinity for historical fiction. Easily her most favoured genre, the author is inspired not only by history at a macro, national level, but also notably from a more personal, intimate account.
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Agnès follows the eponymous orphan’s life from 1914 to 1953, starting with her rescue by a local fisherman at the site of a sinking Russian cruiser off the coast of Penang in 1914. A half-Russian, half-Asian infant with no name, family or home, she is sent to Convent Light Street, where she is brought up by its sisters.
Although WWII and the Malayan Emergency heavily influence the setting, the fundamental inspiration behind this story actually comes from Viji’s mother-in-law, Rose Chin, whose mother Angèle arrived on a ship not so dissimilar to the vessel where the protagonist was discovered. Like the fictional character, she was left at the Baby House in Convent Light Street.
“[Aunty Rose] used to tell me stories about her mother’s time as an orphan and how she grew up,” the author says. “I found them all very interesting, and when we started looking at the research, we found that there was a ship called the Zhemchug, which did sink off the coast of Penang. That seemed like the perfect place to set Agnès.”
In fact, aspects of Viji’s family history pepper the narrative. Minor character Ooi Kim Thong, a landscape officer in the Public Works Department, was inspired by her grandfather who was sent off to England to study medicine but pivoted to become a magician instead. Although not a significant part of the story, the inclusion is a thoughtful tribute to her beloved relative, drawing from her memories of him.
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However, these personal anecdotes by no means make the book a biography. Historical elements are used only as a framework for the plot, which remains largely fictitious. She explains, “I find it more comfortable to write against a historical backdrop because there’s an anchor, something you can kind of hang your coat on, so there’s always a point of reference.”
Central to the novel is the Batang Kali massacre of 1948 wherein the British Army’s Scots Guards killed 24 male civilians at a rubber plantation. Dubbed Britain’s My Lai — the moniker popularised by writer Christopher Hale — this tragic injustice reminds Viji of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in India, which she feels is more widely known and talked about.
At the heart of her writing lies the desire to bring into conversation these important yet often overlooked incidents from the past, but also more crucially to make that information accessible. As she says, “If you can weave a fictional story together with the history, it makes history come alive.”
However, merging fact and fiction, balancing the two, and making the result convincing remains a complicated puzzle that takes time to solve. She describes it as a close dance, not letting them stand apart from each other and having to muddy the waters so readers cannot tell where history ends and the story begins.
Asked about what she hopes readers will take away from Agnès, Viji expresses her wish — for both readers across the sea and at home — that they turn the last page having learnt more about Malayan history, just as how she found out while researching for the book that the victims of the Batang Kali massacre were all Chinese rubber tappers.
In particular, while she conveys the significance of broadening one’s horizons through literature from all over the world, she is also adamant that younger Malaysians should be reading more local titles — not only to learn about their own past, but also to experience the sense of belonging and solidarity a familiar setting or language can evoke. As she puts it, “Anyone who’s curious should be happy to pick up any book to read.”
The book launch and signing for 'Agnès' will be held at MPH Bookstores TRX on Nov 7 at 1pm. For details, visit @mphbookstoresofficial.
This article first appeared on Nov 2, 2026 in The Edge Malaysia.
