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A review by theslowreaderr
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
3.0
An epic historical fiction spanning from the Third Anglo Burmese War to WWII era Malaya, this ambitious novel sets out to tell a love story between a Burmese royal maid and a Bengali orphan.
I read this book when I was much younger, probably in my early 20s and the first thing I remembered about this book was that Saya John and his granddaughter were killed - Saya John in his addled state of dementia killed while he was trying to run away from the Japanese in his Sunday best (he just wanted to go to church) and his granddaughter who killed herself so as not to be captured alive by Japanese troops.
I should have a lot to say about this book but as epic as it is, war is a topic I don't really have much to say on. Maybe it's because the events in this book, especially pertaining to WWII in Malaya, hits close to home because my 92 year old grandmother is still traumatised from the events, whether she openly admits it or not. Then again, she may never divulge her true feelings as she too, like Saya John, has dementia. Though me and her don't have the greatest relationship, I respect her enough to never bring it up again after asking her about it once.
Back to the book, it read like a historical account for me so I didn't enjoy it in that aspect but it did give me a glimpse into Burmese and Malayan history during those times. All I can say is, I'm grateful to live in a time of peace.
I read this book when I was much younger, probably in my early 20s and the first thing I remembered about this book was that Saya John and his granddaughter were killed - Saya John in his addled state of dementia killed while he was trying to run away from the Japanese in his Sunday best (he just wanted to go to church) and his granddaughter who killed herself so as not to be captured alive by Japanese troops.
I should have a lot to say about this book but as epic as it is, war is a topic I don't really have much to say on. Maybe it's because the events in this book, especially pertaining to WWII in Malaya, hits close to home because my 92 year old grandmother is still traumatised from the events, whether she openly admits it or not. Then again, she may never divulge her true feelings as she too, like Saya John, has dementia. Though me and her don't have the greatest relationship, I respect her enough to never bring it up again after asking her about it once.
Back to the book, it read like a historical account for me so I didn't enjoy it in that aspect but it did give me a glimpse into Burmese and Malayan history during those times. All I can say is, I'm grateful to live in a time of peace.