Winner of Singapore Book Awards 2018, Best Fiction Title & Best Book Cover Design
Shortlisted for Singapore Literature Prize 2018, Fiction
Winner of the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2016

When young medusa Ria inadvertently turns an entire village to stone, she and her older sister flee to Nelroote, an underground settlement populated by other non-humans also marginalised by society. There she becomes their gatekeeper, hoping to seek redemption and love…until her friendship with a man from above threatens to dismantle the city she swore to protect.

About the Author

Nuraliah Norasid is a writer and educator with a PhD in Creative Writing from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where she currently teaches writing and communication. Her work, primarily in speculative fiction, occasionally delves into realism and has appeared in various publications, including Wasafiri, Fish Eats Lion Redux, Singa Pura-Pura, Mynah Magazine and Granta. Her debut novel, The Gatekeeper, won the Epigram Books Fiction Prize in 2016 and was named Best Fiction Title at the Singapore Book Awards in 2018.

Nuraliah enjoys exploring neighbourhoods, walking along park connectors and playing video games. She also has a passion for dinosaurs, rocks and cats.