LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 WOMEN’S PRIZE A LIBRARY JOURNAL EMERGING STARS PICK A mesmerizing novel of World War II Singapore, “a story about memory, trauma, and ultimately love” (New York Times)–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 … 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 sets out to discover the truth, wherever it might lead, setting in motion a chain of events he never could have foreseen.
Weaving together two timelines 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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I have read many books about the effects of WWII on the people of Europe but this is the first book that I’ve read about life in Singapore during the occupation by the Japanese. Parts of this book were difficult to read but the novel is beautifully written and a wonderful testament to the women who survived this time period. It is a book that I won’t soon forget.
This novel is told in 2 time periods. The first time period in 1942 when 16 year old Wang Di is taken from her home and family and sent to be a ‘comfort woman’ for the troops. It was difficult to read about her sexual slavery and the life she was forced into. The second time period is 1960. Wang Di lives with her son, daughter in law and grandson, Kevin. Twelve year old Kevin is loved by his family but bullied by his friends. When he inadvertently learns a little bit about the secret his grandmother has been keeping for her long life, he decides to do some detective work and bring the secrets to light for the family. He starts down a path that will change his life and the life of his family.
Weaving together these two timelines this debut novel educates us on a little-known period of history, revealing the strength and bravery shown by numerous women in the face of terrible cruelty. A profoundly moving novel, it is based partly on the author’s great-grandfather’s experiences.
This ultimately is the story of love and family and the resilience to overcome whatever happens in life.
This is primarily a story that brings to light the atrocities inflicted on young women, referred to as comfort women, during WWII, and the impact of those war crimes. The story begins in Singapore when a seventeen-year-old Chinese girl is captured and sent to a Japanese brothel, known as a black-and-white house. From there, the novel shifts between her past and present life and that of her family and twelve-year-old grandson. It’s a story of haunting secrets within a marriage and within a family and a story of a grandson discovering those secrets. The ending was clever, the title profound, and I love the cover. It is so beautifully haunting.
How We Disappeared is a dual timeline story set in Singapore in WWII as it’s occupied by Japan and in present day. Teenage Wang Di is captured and sent off to a brothel to be a comfort woman for the Japanese soldiers. Reading what a hard life these women had broke my heart. In the present day, Kevin’s grandmother mumbles a death bed confession to him, something that will forever change his family. I read this book in an afternoon, totally mesmerized by the story!
How We Disappeared is an exquisite mystery, an enthralling novel. Equally touching and intriguing, How We Disappeared is a soaring debut of surviving the unsurvivable in a time when human life was worth less than the bullets and bombs used to end it. A searing and shocking reminder of a history many would like to forget, and of the endurance of the human spirit.
A shattering, tender and absorbing novel that centres around the unfathomable cruelty that women in Singapore endured…Meticulously researched, exquisitely written..I’m reeling from its power—what an absolute triumph.
A heartbreaking story told with such humanity and grace. The details of How We Disappeared are so vivid they return to me in dreams.
Interesting and intriguing,filled with suspense and the possibility of an amazing experience,that keeps you reading.