The Sound of SCH: A Mental Breakdown, A Life Journey (New Edition)

“An unflinching memoir of how mental illness rips the heart out of a family, it is as brutally honest as it is compassionate. Only a handful of books have moved me to tears. The Sound of SCH is one of them.”
—Felix Cheong, Chief judge for Singapore Literature Prize (Non-Fiction), 2016

“Danielle Lim is that rare thing, a true talent. In this slim but masterful book, her spare and beautiful writing encompasses without sentimentality the grief and guilt of dealing with mental illness. In the process she reaffirms not only our own humanity but shows that, whatever our trials, life is still worth living.”
—Meira Chand, Author of A Different Sky

“The Sound of SCH is a quiet yet powerful reminder that beauty and dignity can emerge even in the midst of brokenness. Through Danielle Lim’s tender portrait of her uncle’s life with schizophrenia and her mother’s steadfast caregiving, we glimpse both the invisible weight of stigma and the unyielding strength of love. This memoir invites us to look past labels, to honour the courage it takes simply to keep showing up for one another and to believe in the possibility of healing and hope: for families, for communities and for ourselves.”
—Michelle Ngiam, Founder and CEO of MEURAKI

“The pain of loneliness, the guilt of being a burden and the helpless feeling of watching an afflicted family member wasting away, tugs heavily at the reader’s heartstrings.”
—Nur Khalisah, NP Tribune

Danielle Lim is an award-winning author of four books. This memoir won the Singapore Literature Prize 2016 (non-fiction), and has been translated to Chinese and Tamil for publication in Taiwan and India. Danielle’s first novel, Trafalgar Sunrise, was shortlisted for Best Literary Work in the Singapore Book Awards 2019. Her short story collection, And Softly Go the Crossings, won the Book of the Year as well as Best Literary Work in the Singapore Book Awards 2021. Her novel All Our Brave, Earthly Scars was published by Penguin Random House in 2022.

The Publishers Weekly (US) listed Danielle as one of Singapore’s top writers in 2016. She has been invited to speak at international events such as the Singapore Writers Festival, the Kimberley Writers Festival and the George Town Literary Festival. Her works have been featured in The Straits Times, BiblioAsia, The West Australian, as well as on radio—CNA938 and ABC Radio Australia. She has been interviewed on platforms such as Great People TV, The Brand Called You and the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore. Danielle is an alumna of the University of Oxford and resides in Singapore, where she is a lecturer.