How We Disappeared - Jing-jing Lee

\nLONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE \nLONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 WOMEN'S PRIZE \n \nA LIBRARY JOURNAL EMERGING STARS PICK \n \nA 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 \n \nSingapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked, leaving only two survivors and one tiny child. \n \nIn 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. \n \nIn 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. \n \nWeaving 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.\n