A review by ktrain3900
How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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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