Reviews with content warning for Confinement - How We Disappeared

So beautiful and so sad, a stunning first novel about the Singaporean side of the Japanese invasion during WWII, and it's aftermath, and the suffering and loss that bridges the two. We come to know the story through a young woman, Wang Di, traveling between the past she won't speak about and the present. These two threads are interwoven with a third thread, that of Kevin, a 12 year-old boy dealing with his own difficulties with school bullies, his absentee parents, and the illness and later death of his Ah Ma. War is ugly; it leads people who may not have otherwise to do very ugly things to other people, and the scenes in the black and white house (among other scenes of war) are among the most difficult reading I've ever done, but ultimately this is an inspiring and hopeful story. Kevin makes a discovery that ultimately brings the threads together, as we get to know not only him and Wang Di, but their families, the Old One, Ah Ma, Yan Ling, Jeomsun, Huay, as they try to wring small kindnesses and hope out of daily survival.

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claireemma23's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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betag1013's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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daniela_is_reading's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad

4.25

WARNING ⚠️- review comes with triggers.

SYNOPSIS and THOUGHTS:
I've read a number of war based novels over the years. Some, have been standouts and will stay with me forever. 'How we Disappeared' is one of these standouts. Jing-Jing Lee speaks of the abhorrent experience and treatment of women and children during the 3 year Japanese occupation of Singapore in WWII.

Children as young as 12 were taken from their families and forced to work in a military brothel. They called them, 'comfort women', but they were in fact sex slaves, living in poor conditions, underfed and often beaten and raped multiple times on a daily basis. Many never saw their families and friends again. They, just disappeared.

In this beautifully told but heart wrenching story we follow the life of Wang Di prior the Japanese occupation, during her 3 years at the military brothel and much later as an elderly women in search of her voice and peace after losing her beloved husband.

Also, fast forward to the year 2000, and we get to know, and love 12 year old Kevin. Kevin's frail grandmother, in her dying breath mumbles a confession to Kevin which sets a ball in motion. Kevin is determined to find answers. In doing so, it leads him straight to Wang Di, where many truths not spoken about for decades are revealed.

This is not a comfortable or light read, but I feel it's an important one. It took me a little longer to finish, as at times, I had to put it down and have a break. However, I have no regrets reading it.

Please note, prior picking this one up that it's heavy and can be triggering to some.

Content Warnings

qqjj's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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waybeyondblue's review

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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r0se's review

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emotional informative sad tense

4.25

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

How We Disappeared depicts the horrific way women were treated both during and after the war. One of the timelines follows Wang Di, a woman forced into working as a ‘comfort woman’ for the Japanese army during the occupation of Singapore. The abuse she suffered as a comfort woman is only exacerbated when she’s able to return home. There, she is met only with stigma, shame and even rage for what had been done to her, something beyond her control. It was heart-breaking to see the way Wang Di was treated by her once loving family; after everything she endured, they could not look past the abuse she suffered at the hands of men. It was this shame and stigma that made thousands of women forced into this role during the war stay silent about their experiences for so long, erasing a devastating part of history that deserved to be heard and never forgotten.

I loved the dual timeline (or maybe triple? Since we hear from Wang Di as both a young and old woman, as well as Kevin), it all comes together so beautifully. It shows how during war, people are forced to make choices which will reverberate throughout their lives and the lives of their descendants.

Really can’t recommend this one enough, especially to lovers of historical fiction.

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