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Be Real

A Guide to Authenticity

Felix Cheong
,
Arif Rafhan
Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Written in poetic form by Felix Cheong and illustrated by Arif Rafhan, Be Real: A Guide to Authenticity is a graphic novel satirising the hunger for authenticity in an age of curated fakeness.

The story revolves around Q, a successful hack known for his zombie novels. His latest bestseller is met with scathing reviews from critics who accuse him of writing to formula. Fans are also growing tired of his predictable stories.

His problems are compounded when his trophy wife dies from a drug overdose. At her funeral and near the end of his rope, Q meets an old flame, a down-but-not-out writer. As they have bereavement sex, she bites him, saying: ‘You got to keep it real. You can’t fake it till you make it. Be real.’

He takes these words to heart and, like a method actor, explores what it takes to live like a zombie. He buys viscera from a butcher and eats it raw. He gets into it and suddenly, his words flow powerfully.

This ‘method writing’ leads him to greater success but also a slow descent into zombiism. At fan meets, he goes around biting each of them, saying ‘Be real’. #bereal starts trending and before long, #bereal becomes the tagline we see at bus stops, on TV, on social media.

Published: Mar/2025

ISBN: 9789815233032

Length: 160 Pages

Be Real

A Guide to Authenticity

Felix Cheong
,
Arif Rafhan

Written in poetic form by Felix Cheong and illustrated by Arif Rafhan, Be Real: A Guide to Authenticity is a graphic novel satirising the hunger for authenticity in an age of curated fakeness.

The story revolves around Q, a successful hack known for his zombie novels. His latest bestseller is met with scathing reviews from critics who accuse him of writing to formula. Fans are also growing tired of his predictable stories.

His problems are compounded when his trophy wife dies from a drug overdose. At her funeral and near the end of his rope, Q meets an old flame, a down-but-not-out writer. As they have bereavement sex, she bites him, saying: ‘You got to keep it real. You can’t fake it till you make it. Be real.’

He takes these words to heart and, like a method actor, explores what it takes to live like a zombie. He buys viscera from a butcher and eats it raw. He gets into it and suddenly, his words flow powerfully.

This ‘method writing’ leads him to greater success but also a slow descent into zombiism. At fan meets, he goes around biting each of them, saying ‘Be real’. #bereal starts trending and before long, #bereal becomes the tagline we see at bus stops, on TV, on social media.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Felix Cheong

Felix Cheong is the author of thirty books across different genres, from poetry to short stories, from children’s picture books to young adult fiction. He has also published five graphic novels, including The Showgirl and the Minister in collaboration with Arif Rafhan. Winner of the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2000, Felix has been invited to writers festival all over the world, including Edinburgh, Austin, Sydney, Brisbane and Christchurch. He holds a masters in Creative Writing and is currently an adjunct lecturer with the National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Curtin University and Murdoch University.

Arif Rafhan is an award-winning comics artist based in Kuala Lumpur. His work can be seen in more than forty publications in Malaysia, Singapore and the US. His contribution includes Malaysia's longest-running humour magazine, Gila-Gila, as well as under Dato Lat for his graphic novel, Mat Som 2. His graphic novel, Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma 2, his fourth collaboration with writer Melanie Lee, won Best Young Person's Title at the Singapore Book Awards in 2023. Be Real: A Guide to Authenticity is his fifth collaboration with Felix Cheong.

Arif Rafhan

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