 First edition cover | |
| Author | Jing-Jing Lee |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel, historical fiction |
| Set in | Singapore, 1942 and 2000 |
| Publisher | Oneworld Publications |
Publication date | 2019 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print: hardback |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 9781786074126 |
| OCLC | 1152198115 |
| 823.92 | |
| LC Class | PR9570.S53 L44 |
| Preceded by | The Ghost Bride |
How We Disappeared: A Novel is a 2019 historical fiction novel by Singaporean author Jing-Jing Lee, written in English. [1]
Background
Lee developed the book from a short story she wrote, "Cardboard Lady," that appeared in her first collection, If I Could Tell You (2013). She named the main character Chiow Tee after her own mother; the name means "care for a brother" ( 照 弟 zhàodì). She wanted to focus attention on the " comfort women" taken to work as slaves in Japanese military brothels, unlike other fiction about the occupation of Singapore which focused on resistance violence and male prisoners of war. [2] [3]
Plot
Singapore, the year 2000: a twelve-year-old boy hears a mumbled confession from his grandmother, which leads him to her history of sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. [4]
Reception
In the Financial Times, Zoë Apostolides praised the novel, saying "Lee intersperses these sections with real structural skill to form a deeply affecting whole, and one that reincarnates the disappeared by telling their many disparate stories." [5]
How We Disappeared was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize, and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the HWA Debut Crown (a prize for historical writing). [6] [7]
In 2022, How We Disappeared was included on the Big Jubilee Read, a list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors produced to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. [8] [9]
References
- ^ Banerjee, Argha Krishna (28 August 2020). "Secret horrors from 1940's Singapore". Telegraph India. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Fisk, Alan (August 2019). "How We Disappeared: An Interview with Jing-Jing Lee". Historical Novels Review. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Blumberg-Kason, Susan (29 August 2019). ""How We Disappeared" by Jing-Jing Lee". Asian Review of Books. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Baker, Phil (5 May 2019). "Fiction review: How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee; Dublin Palms by Hugo Hamilton; Ash Before Oak by Jeremy Cooper". The Times. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Apostolides, Zoë (28 June 2019). "How We Disappeared — the open wounds of a comfort woman". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ ""How We Disappeared"". WorldCat. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "How We Disappeared". Women's Prize for Fiction. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Sherwood, Harriet (18 April 2022). "The God of Small Things to Shuggie Bain: the Queen's jubilee book list". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "The Big Jubilee Read: Books from 2012 to 2022". BBC. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
|
First edition cover | |
| Author | Jing-Jing Lee |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel, historical fiction |
| Set in | Singapore, 1942 and 2000 |
| Publisher | Oneworld Publications |
Publication date | 2019 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print: hardback |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 9781786074126 |
| OCLC | 1152198115 |
| 823.92 | |
| LC Class | PR9570.S53 L44 |
| Preceded by | The Ghost Bride |
How We Disappeared: A Novel is a 2019 historical fiction novel by Singaporean author Jing-Jing Lee, written in English. [1]
Background
Lee developed the book from a short story she wrote, "Cardboard Lady," that appeared in her first collection, If I Could Tell You (2013). She named the main character Chiow Tee after her own mother; the name means "care for a brother" ( 照 弟 zhàodì). She wanted to focus attention on the " comfort women" taken to work as slaves in Japanese military brothels, unlike other fiction about the occupation of Singapore which focused on resistance violence and male prisoners of war. [2] [3]
Plot
Singapore, the year 2000: a twelve-year-old boy hears a mumbled confession from his grandmother, which leads him to her history of sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. [4]
Reception
In the Financial Times, Zoë Apostolides praised the novel, saying "Lee intersperses these sections with real structural skill to form a deeply affecting whole, and one that reincarnates the disappeared by telling their many disparate stories." [5]
How We Disappeared was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize, and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the HWA Debut Crown (a prize for historical writing). [6] [7]
In 2022, How We Disappeared was included on the Big Jubilee Read, a list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors produced to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. [8] [9]
References
- ^ Banerjee, Argha Krishna (28 August 2020). "Secret horrors from 1940's Singapore". Telegraph India. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Fisk, Alan (August 2019). "How We Disappeared: An Interview with Jing-Jing Lee". Historical Novels Review. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Blumberg-Kason, Susan (29 August 2019). ""How We Disappeared" by Jing-Jing Lee". Asian Review of Books. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Baker, Phil (5 May 2019). "Fiction review: How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee; Dublin Palms by Hugo Hamilton; Ash Before Oak by Jeremy Cooper". The Times. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Apostolides, Zoë (28 June 2019). "How We Disappeared — the open wounds of a comfort woman". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ ""How We Disappeared"". WorldCat. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "How We Disappeared". Women's Prize for Fiction. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Sherwood, Harriet (18 April 2022). "The God of Small Things to Shuggie Bain: the Queen's jubilee book list". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "The Big Jubilee Read: Books from 2012 to 2022". BBC. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.