1. No, it is not realistic
1.1. No, it is not realistic as not all Singaporean boys would even go to Wing's extend in search for his own identity. Although Heartland is one of those many possible paths where boys take in search of their identities.
1.1.1. For example, no all Singaporean boys are as nostalgic as Wing and normally, Singaporean boys do express themselves more openly. Thus, it is rare to see a boy nowdays with identical personalities as Wing.
1.1.2. In heartland, Wing experienced many bad "luck" in the sense that he never had a long lasting relationship nor any good supporting friends. Every path Wing take seems to lead to a downturn which makes heartland seems a little unrealistic.
1.1.3. What is also unrealistic about heartland is in terms of the book's credibility. Although there are some parts in the book which strongly relate to us, however, this book is written from Darren Shiau's perspective, so his view of the heartland is different from that of others. And since heartland is not based on a true story, most of the storyline is the product of Darren Shiau's imagination. Therefore making the overall story about Wing's search for his identity unrealistic to an extent.
1.2. This book is based on Darren Shiau's suggestions to readers. Thus, not all information stated in the book are reliable and trustworthy. This book is made up mostly of opinions and very little of facts which is very important to the story being realistic. Unless, this is written based on someone's life-story or experience.
2. Key words & ideas
2.1. realistic portrayal
2.1.1. definition
2.1.1.1. realistic: accurate representation of things as they really are.
2.1.1.2. portrayal: depicting or representing
2.2. search for identity
2.2.1. definition
2.2.1.1. identity: Knowledge of who one is, and one's place in the world. Also the group that one falls under
2.3. Singaporean
2.3.1. A Singapore citizen who has lived in Singapore for some time.
3. Yes, it is realistic
3.1. Has events and major milesontes like National Service and examinations that most if not all Singaporeans will experience.
3.1.1. In Heartland, Daren Shiau uses the character Wing and his life. Daren Shiau then expanded about how Wing felt towards National Service, which suggests to the readers about how the NS Men felt towards NS.
3.1.1.1. example ; the NS men do not even know what island they had to defend (page 125) which suggests that majority of the NS men which is still serving have the similar mindset as how Daren Shiau describes to us in the novel.
3.1.2. Next, Daren Shiau describes on the financial problems that Wing and Mdm Lee is facing. In real life, majority of the Singaporeans are facing financial problems due to the recent financial crisis.
3.1.2.1. example ; Wing tries to keep the outings he had with Chloe to his budget. He brings her out to coffee shops and treats her to a 10 cent 'do yourself' hum cheem pang.
3.1.3. Next, Daren Shiau describes about how reflective Wing and his friends were in the discussion. He is suggesting that in reality, people in Singapore are trying to invent and create new stuff by discussing and debating with each other.
3.1.3.1. example ; Wing, Sham and Audrey had a discussion about the fashion in the 1800s to the late 1990s. (page 74)
3.1.4. Daren Shiau also uses the characters Wing and Chloe to describe about the typical relationships between Singaporeans.
3.1.5. Daren Shiau is also trying to suggest that Singaporeans do not know how to appreciate and do not have the mindset of defending the country well using the novel heartland.
3.1.5.1. example ; The NS men had no idea what the island was when Krishnan pointed to them. They even laughed at the person who guessed that the island was 'Singapore' which was correct. This suggests that they did not have the right mindset when they entered NS life, which is to defend and die for the country.