Felicia Yap Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Felicia Yap is a Malaysian author of crime, thriller and suspense novels famously known for her debut novel, Yesterday which was subject of bidding war by many publishers. Felicia was born 1980 and spent her childhood in Kuala Lumpur. Her father refilled ATM’s to earn a living while her mother worked as a clerk for a car repair shop. In 2002, Felicia joined Imperial College where she studied Biochemistry, and attended University of Cambridge to complete her doctorate in history on the subjects of captives of the Japanese during the WWII. Felicia Yap has worked at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory between completion of her biochemistry studies and starting a masters and PhD. She has also worked as a journalist based in United Kingdom and Singapore and has also written for The Business Times and The Economist.

Yesterday, Felicia Yap’s debut novel is perfect summertime read for science fiction, murder mystery fans. It is set in the blissful Cambridge, England- introducing a lead character known as Mark Henry Evans, an aspiring politician and successful novelist living in a spacious mansion with his beautiful wife, Claire. The twist in this story is that no one has long-term memory. The world as we know it is split into Duos-people who can recall past event in their lives for two days and then there is Monos- people who can only remember events for 24 hours. In a society highly dependent on tech, the human brain typically crashes every one and two days and every time it needs to be rebooted.

Yesterday

Yesterday is the debut novel by Felicia Yap. The novel introduces Mark and Claire who are in a rarely mixed marriage in a world that is divided by religion or race as in our contemporary world but divided by the type of memory an individual is born with. Claire is mono, as is the higher percentage of the population and can only remember one day of her life at the time. Then there is Mark, who is a duo meaning that he can only remember the events that happen in the last 48 hours, and this makes the duos much better than the moons.

One day a woman body is discovered proximal to where Mark and Claire live and soon the detective shows up at the couple’s door looking to question them. Apparently, it appears that the victim had written notes about Mark in her diary which is now a property of the cops. Mark is brought in for questioning regarding the woman’s murder. However, it is soon discovered that the detective has his own skeletons in the closets and is determined that he will solve the murder case in a day with Mark being his primary suspect.

Narrated from four different points of views, by Claire, Mark, the detective and the victim, Yesterday is a brilliant debut novel. It is a mix of thriller and fantasy that is easy to follow along without breaking the flow of the narrative. All the characters in the story are all flawed, right from head to toe, but surprisingly that is what makes them interesting. Each character is a mix of good, bad and the confusing thus making the story incredibly interesting. Felicia Yap concept for her debut novel is unique and intriguing: how can one solve a murder case when the only thing you can remember is yesterday? For the detective in charge of the homicide case, this is all true and possible, and he vows to have the case solved within 24 hours.

Perhaps it would make for a peaceful and better world only if we could remember only yesterday and that no one would ever hold grudges against his or her fellow being as they would not be able to recognize the reason why. Felicia Yap’s debut novel is also a commentary on a contemporary world where people use their calendars, entertainment, cameras, messengers, and newsfeed. Murder mysteries often involve lots of questions such as have your neighbors been acting strangely? Where were you last week? Is the evident to be found in your house? However, Yesterday tends to answer each of these queries by researching the characters iDiaries and then staring into the screens. Felicia Yap has woven a fantastic funhouse true mirror reflection of our tech-obsessed lives.

Yesterday is a true mirror of ourselves, what we choose to remember and also what we choose to forget. Memories transform over time, and according to recent studies, 80% of what humans remember isn’t actually what happened. Therefore this novel is about how humans make memories, and how the slippery nature of memory is actually relevant. Studies have also show that Wikipedia and Google Searches are making it more difficult for people to remember things without the assistance of the computer. Generally, this story is about the lies that we choose to tell ourselves impersonating as memories because if we could only remember yesterday, then suppressed secrets; old one takes a chilling new meaning especially if they tend to involve murder.