This is another one of those books that has been languishing on my TBR list for years. I heard about this when it came out because it’s a fantasy set in Singapore and how rare is that? But, I never actually got around to reading it until now, because I heard that the author has another book coming out that I’m interested in reading as well.

The Oddfits follows Murgatroyd Floyd, a Singaporean (ethnicity: ang moh aka Caucasian) as he doesn’t fit in through life. He somehow makes it through without achieving anything, ending up as a twenty-five year old who works as a waiter.

One day, however, Murgatroyd is told something miraculous: he doesn’t fit in because he literally does not belong to this world. Murgatroyd is an Oddfit, someone who can explore the More Known World. Now that he knows who he is, Murgatroyd is going to jump at the chance to leave, right? After all, why would he stay in a world that he doesn’t belong to?

The main thing you have to keep in mind when reading The Oddfits is that it’s a series (although there are only two books out right now). And because it’s book one in a series, this book is basically worldbuilding and character-introduction. The book goes into more detail about the More Known World, why people seem to hate Murgatroyd and lots about his miserable life here. It’s like the first part of Harry Potter, but you end the book just as Harry leaves for Hogwarts. Or like in Narnia but the book ends just as they go into the wardrobe.

Although nothing much happened in the book and that would ordinarily annoy me, I still enjoyed this. The idea of the More Known World was interesting and I felt a lot of sympathy for Murgatroyd. Plus, I liked reading about Singapore as a place where magic can happen and pretty much all the details rang true for me (seven years later, I still remember how much I disagreed with My Singapore Lover because of all its inaccuracies).

Overall, this was an interesting book. Not a lot goes on, but I did enjoy the worldbuilding and I think that as long as you keep in mind that this is meant to be book one of a series, the emphasis on worldbuilding and characters is easier to handle.

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