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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Undoubtedly I learnt a lot from this book about the events of World War II from an Asian perspective, how Japan invaded Malaysia and its neighbours, as well as Malaysian labour camps in World War II, its geography and natural features, its politics in the mid-20th century, and why the country is such a mix of cultures. However, the plot was far too slow and the characters too blank for me.
The book is set over three time periods in Yun Ling's life: her time in a WWII POW camp with her sister; her training under Aritomo to create a memorial garden in Yugiri for her sister; and the start of her retirement, when she is grappling with aphasia and returns to Yugiri to write a memoir. The voice between the different time periods was very similar; I wish it varied more to give a sense of Yun Ling's age and changing personality over the decades.
The writing was beautiful, but I needed a stronger plot to add some variety to the book as a whole. A lot of the plot points and character backstories in the first half of the book were relatively inconsequential. By the time I reached the latter half of the book, where most of the plot points occur, I was starting to lose interest and was not very invested in the characters. I did like the ending, it was clever how the small hints at treasure being hidden by the Japanese in the Malaysian highlands (akin to Yamashita's gold) that were peppered throughout the book did bear fruit.
The book is set over three time periods in Yun Ling's life: her time in a WWII POW camp with her sister; her training under Aritomo to create a memorial garden in Yugiri for her sister; and the start of her retirement, when she is grappling with aphasia and returns to Yugiri to write a memoir. The voice between the different time periods was very similar; I wish it varied more to give a sense of Yun Ling's age and changing personality over the decades.
The writing was beautiful, but I needed a stronger plot to add some variety to the book as a whole. A lot of the plot points and character backstories in the first half of the book were relatively inconsequential. By the time I reached the latter half of the book, where most of the plot points occur, I was starting to lose interest and was not very invested in the characters. I did like the ending, it was clever how the small hints at treasure being hidden by the Japanese in the Malaysian highlands (akin to Yamashita's gold) that were peppered throughout the book did bear fruit.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Yun Ling was a "guest of the Emperor" during World War II, and she and her sister survived those days in the camp by creating a Japanese garden into which they would disappear to escape the worst of the brutality. Years after the war ended, she tries to persuade Aritomo who was formerly the gardener to the Emperor of Japan to create a garden in memory of her sister. He refuses, but eventually decides to take her on an as apprentice. Over the next few months, as she learns the basic philosophy behind Japanese gardens, they also get a glimpse of the secrets that they each hold.
The book is told in three timelines- 1980s or the present where the newly retired 'Judge Theo' returns to the garden to put her affairs in order, the late 1950s where American forces are still in Japan, Malaysia is still ruled by Britain and the Communists are fighting for independence, and the war years where Yun Ling is interned in a slave camp deep in the forest. I loved reading about the political climate in each of those times- something that I was totally ignorant of before reading this book. The cast of characters is diverse- Penang Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Afrikanas, British, Indian-Malay, Chinese-Malay, and words from the languages each of them speak is strewn throughout the book. There is so much in the book to process- comfort women, guerilla fighters, suicide pilots, plantation workers- yet, at no point does the book seem weighty.
The book is as exquisitely beautiful as the various Japanese art forms it describes- gardens, wood prints and horimono. It transports you back into time, and you can almost feel the cool mountain air while reading the book. Time behaves strangely, ancient myths come to live, and there are fragments of activity which fall into place only at the end.
Above all, it is a book about remembering and forgiving. The book begins with this quote, and when you finish reading the book, you realise the book can be summed up with this one quote:
"There is a goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne; but none of Forgetting. Yet there should be, as they are twin sisters, twin powers, and walk on either side of us, disputing for sovereignty over us and who we are, all the way until death."
The book is told in three timelines- 1980s or the present where the newly retired 'Judge Theo' returns to the garden to put her affairs in order, the late 1950s where American forces are still in Japan, Malaysia is still ruled by Britain and the Communists are fighting for independence, and the war years where Yun Ling is interned in a slave camp deep in the forest. I loved reading about the political climate in each of those times- something that I was totally ignorant of before reading this book. The cast of characters is diverse- Penang Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Afrikanas, British, Indian-Malay, Chinese-Malay, and words from the languages each of them speak is strewn throughout the book. There is so much in the book to process- comfort women, guerilla fighters, suicide pilots, plantation workers- yet, at no point does the book seem weighty.
The book is as exquisitely beautiful as the various Japanese art forms it describes- gardens, wood prints and horimono. It transports you back into time, and you can almost feel the cool mountain air while reading the book. Time behaves strangely, ancient myths come to live, and there are fragments of activity which fall into place only at the end.
Above all, it is a book about remembering and forgiving. The book begins with this quote, and when you finish reading the book, you realise the book can be summed up with this one quote:
"There is a goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne; but none of Forgetting. Yet there should be, as they are twin sisters, twin powers, and walk on either side of us, disputing for sovereignty over us and who we are, all the way until death."
loved how it unrevelled slowly, like a jungle with hidden secrets.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
This was a fantastic story. The history of the region and aftermath of WWII are prominent, yet simple enough to understand for someone who may not be familiar with those topics. I liked the relationship between Yun Ling and Aritomo. I still have mixed feelings about the ending (it was satisfactory, but not the concrete end I would've liked to see!).
(Book club)
(Book club)
This book has that special quality that will stick with me for a long time. It feels like it was written for me, even if that is the farthest thing from the truth. Especially Magnus, for whatever reason.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture
Minor: Animal death
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No