Love Among the Shophouses: Rebuilding Love and Legacy: A Historical Multicultural Romance Set in Mal

Love Among the Shophouses
A deeply evocative novel of love, memory, and cultural heritage set in the vibrant old town of Ipoh, Malaysia.

When heritage architect Mei-Ling Kang returns to Hugh Low Street in Ipoh to settle her late grandmother's affairs, she doesn't expect to find the past waiting behind every peeling door and shadowed corridor of the old shophouse. What begins as a restoration project quickly becomes a journey into her family's secret history-and a second chance at the love she once left behind.

Haunted by dusty letters, jade hairpins, and fragments of stories hidden in forgotten trunks and secret rooms, Mei-Ling uncovers a layered family legacy stretching back to the Japanese Occupation and the Merdeka days of 1957. Amid mooncakes and monsoon rains, offerings for wandering spirits, and whispers from concealed altars, she begins to piece together the untold tale of a forbidden wartime romance, a missing sister, and sacrifices that stitched generations together in silence.

And waiting in the heart of the house is Daniel Leong-her childhood friend turned skilled carpenter-whose hands restore more than just wood. Together, they begin mending the shophouse and the memories within it, brick by brittle brick, rediscovering a tenderness neither time nor distance could erase.

But when an irresistible job offer from London resurfaces and a boutique developer arrives with lucrative plans for the historic home, Mei-Ling must make an impossible decision. Will she choose the polished legacy of her professional ambitions-or the quiet, rooted beauty of a life rebuilt among the ghosts of her past?

Set against the rich tapestry of Ipoh's Chinese Malaysian community, this novel is steeped in the scent of incense and street food, the rhythms of temple bells and ghost festivals, and the language of houses that remember their people. From the dusty attic to bustling Concubine Lane, from kuih-making with Auntie Siew to rain-slicked memories beneath a bamboo scaffold, every page is alive with longing, laughter, and layers of generational love.

For fans of historical romance, cultural fiction, and emotionally resonant storytelling, Love Among the Shophouses offers:

• A nostalgic journey through post-colonial Malaya and modern-day Malaysia

• A slow-burn, second-chance romance full of restraint, memory, and rediscovery

• Vivid depictions of Ipoh's Old Town, street life, and traditional architecture

• Intergenerational stories of sacrifice, secrets, and resilience among women

• Tender themes of homecoming, belonging, and the healing power of heritage

With lyrical prose, immersive details, and unforgettable characters, Love Among the Shophouses is a celebration of place, identity, and the way love-like old houses-sometimes just needs time, care, and the right hands to make it whole again.