I met Leila recently at the
Singapore Writers’ Festival. She was there to introduce another speaker and not really for her own book. But I found her
illustrated children’s book ‘All Too Much For Oliver’ on the speaker’s book
table, and asked who the writer was.
I was immediately drawn to her
book that describes a highly sensitive child who prefers a quiet world without
too much stimulation...most of the time.
Young Oliver likes going to the
park. He likes playing in the playground. He likes swimming. He likes parties.
But only if there aren't too many kids around, if it isn’t too noisy, and if there
is one person he likes that could take his attention away from everything else
around him.
I can identify with that right
away. During almost my entire school life, I hardly joined classmates in crowded tuckshops during recess time but preferred slow walks with just one friend in quieter
places further out in the school compound. We would eat only when others were finishing
and clearing out of the school canteen. I was used to friends feeling abandoned and asking,
‘Where have you been?’ but it felt weird to tell them that I needed to get away
to recharge after four lessons of morning class with them! I didn’t even know how to
describe the need for solitude. So I never did. Though I started conversations with others easily, I usually had only one friend at a time and that was totally normal. Any more would
simply wear me out. Yet, I’ve thrown more parties than most people I know. I just need enough time alone to reflect, recharge and enjoy company.
So in short, the book means a lot
to me. And I felt comfortable enough to ask Leila if she was also a highly-sensitive
person (HSP) and she said yes. It was the first time in my life that I could be so
open with another human about this without feeling like an anomaly. It was
liberating!
I snapped up two copies of the book without a second thought!
Where you can get it: Leila says her book is available at Kinokuniya.