TLC Book Tours: How We Disappeared (Plus a Giveaway!)
About How We Disappeared
Hardcover: 352 PagesPublisher: Hanover Square Press; Original edition (May 7, 2019)
A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel set in World War II Singapore about a woman who survived the Japanese occupation and a man who thought he had lost everything—for fans of Pachinko and We Were the Lucky Ones
Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked, leaving only two survivors and one tiny child.
In a neighboring village, seventeen-year-old Wang Di is strapped into the back of a troop carrier and shipped off to a Japanese military brothel where she is forced into sexual slavery as a “comfort woman.” After sixty years of silence, what she saw and experienced still haunts her.
In the year 2000, twelve-year-old Kevin is sitting beside his ailing grandmother when he overhears a mumbled confession. He eesets out to discover the truth, wherever it might lead, setting in motion a chain of events he never could have foreseen.
Weaving together two time lines and two very big secrets, this stunning debut opens a window on a little-known period of history, revealing the strength and bravery shown by numerous women in the face of terrible cruelty. Drawing in part on her family’s experiences, Jing-Jing Lee has crafted a profoundly moving, unforgettable novel about human resilience, the bonds of family and the courage it takes to confront the past.
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What an emotional yet beautiful book! I'll admit this one took me a while to get into--it jumped around between different characters and time frames, so it took me awhile to get my bearings. I loved the historical portions of the book, as I haven't read historical fiction set in Singapore before, and very little historical fiction from that time frame from the perspective of that area of the world--I usually focus on Europe. I was excited to read this book to learn more and gain a different perspective.
My heart broke for Wang Di--whose name literally meant "hoping for a brother." The mistreatment she endured as a "comfort woman" during the war was so difficult to read. Overall though I'm so glad I read this book because I learned so much, even if it was heartbreaking at times. I loved the characters--and what's even more emotional is that this story is based off of Jing-Jineg Lee's own family history. How brave of her to tell this story.
About Jing-Jing Lee

I had no idea "comfort women" existed so I'm really excited to read this one just to learn something new. Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
ReplyDeleteI didn't either until this book!
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