How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee | Book Reflections

Book Summary

How We Disappeared weaves together two timelines, 1942 war-torn Singapore and 2000 "present-day" Singapore. It tells the story of Wang Di, a teenage girl who is shipped off to a Japanese military brothel in 1942 and Kevin, a 12-year-old in 2000 who overhears a mumbled confession from his ailing grandmother.

Thoughts and Reflections

I do not normally read Singapore literature, though I probably should! This is one out of only two "Sing-Lit" books that I have read in the past year (the other book is The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke). This book definitely touches on a little-known period of history, especially since most books on World War II tend to focus on the European region (another WWII recommendation being All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr).

I came across this book as it was longlisted for the Women's Prize For Fiction 2020. What I loved most about this book was that it not only touched on Singapore's part in WWII, but also on the uncomfortable topic of comfort women. Though in the present day of writing, most comfort women would probably have passed on already, this is still a contentious topic, especially in Japan and Korea as Japan has yet to fully acknowledge their responsibility in this war crime.

One particular heartbreaking part was when Wang Di in the year 2000 looked at her bank account book.

$92.77. This was how much they had left, the two of them together. She (Wang Di) at seventy-two years of age and the Old One (her husband) at ninety.

This quote speaks volumes to the plight of comfort women in Asia, many of whom were not even remunerated for their suffering, much less remembered as war heroes. In a larger social context, it speaks to the income instability of the elderly as well. In the present year, Wang Di is a cardboard collector who is earning barely enough. The other character, Kevin, lives in a two-bedroom with his parents and grandmother. The financial difficulties his parents experience extend to his life in school as well, making it hard for him to fit in. Even though there is no explicit social commentary in this novel, I enjoyed the subtle nature in the portrayal of the marginalised in Singapore.

It can be quite confusing navigating the different timelines as the author wants to make the transitions as seamless as possible. Though if you can get through this initial difficulty, this book is definitely a good read!

The plot was not exactly mind-blowing in the sense as I could guess quite easily where the story was going. But it was nice to see how it all slowly unravelled and enjoyable to read about a part of history that is not well-documented on. Nonetheless, it is always good to support our homegrown literary scene!

Favourite Quotes

Promise me something. If we do get out, we'll tell people we were working in a factory. This, they might believe.

- Huay saying to Wang Di when they were comfort women

I wondered how my life would have been if I was a boy instead of what I was now. But perhaps this was all for my siblings - as my name suggested. My life for two of theirs.

- Wang Di thinking of home while being a comfort woman

Ratings

• Plot: 3.5/5

• Characters: 4/5

• Writing Style/Voice: 4.5/5

• Themes: 5/5

You should read this book if

• you are a history buff who is interested in WWII

• you are interested in Asian and Singapore literature

• you are looking for a book that ties the past with the present