How We Disappeared

March 15, 2019
An elderly woman is haunted by her past as a "comfort woman," while many people would prefer to cover up their family member's tragic history.This novel set in Singapore grapples with a history that many in the city-state would rather leave forgotten. The story is told from alternating points of view, that of an elderly woman, Wang Di, facing the imminent death of her beloved husband; the teenage Wang Di and her family, struggling to survive the Japanese occupation during World War II; and Kevin, a precocious 12-year-old schoolboy facing bullying in the 21st century. Wang Di's narrative as a young woman is the most compelling, as the reader learns that the Japanese military kidnapped her as a teenager to work as a "comfort woman" providing sex for Japanese soldiers. Not only did Wang Di face the threat of death should she not comply while enslaved by the Japanese military, but she faced censure from the rest of society after the war ended. These themes of silencing a tragic history run through Kevin's chapters as well, as the intrepid boy seeks to uncover his grandmother's secrets. However, Kevin's chapters do not match Wang Di's in power, and the constant shifting of perspective can be distracting. The novel has many graphic scenes of violence and rape, but they are never gratuitous. Ultimately, debut novelist Lee creates a compelling story of generations haunted by war and the silence surrounding their suffering.A historical novel about "comfort women" in Singapore restores the dignity of the survivors and criticizes the misogyny that marked their lives.

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Starred review from April 15, 2019
In modern Singapore, the paths of a grieving WWII survivor and a young boy converge as they seek to heal long-buried wounds. When Wang Di's husband, Soon Wei, dies, she realizes that her fearful refusal to discuss their war experiences has left her with no knowledge of his life before they married. Prickling with regret, Wang Di searches for the story she couldn't bear to hear from him and relives her own harrowing experience as a comfort woman enslaved by the Japanese army. As Wang Di searches for Soon Wei's history, 12-year-old Kevin Lim is alone at his grandmother's deathbed when she confesses that his father is not her biological son. She found him in a village destroyed by the Japanese and raised him as her own, even after learning that his father was looking for him. Convinced that finding his grandfather will draw his father out of grief, Kevin traces clues from his grandmother's old letters and finds his way to Soon Wei. Wang Di and Soon Wei's wartime suffering is woven through the story's shifting time line (from 1941 to 2000), but Lee balances their pain with Wang Di's loyal friendships in the camp, her loving determination to honor Soon Wei's story, and Kevin's quest to heal his father's grief. A beautifully written, suspenseful story of redemption and healing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)