Rachel Heng - The Great Reclamation

Details
Paperback - Used

Rating
4.1/5 Goodreads

Synopsis
Ah Boon is a gentle boy. Born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore in the waning years of British rule, he's not much interested in fishing-he would prefer to spend his days playing with the spirited neighbor girl, Siok Mei. But when he discovers he has the unique ability to locate bountiful, movable islands that no one else can find, he feels a new sense of obligation and possibility.
By the time they are teens, Ah Boon and Siok Mei are caught in the tragic sweep of history. As the Japanese army invades and the nation hurtles toward rebirth, the two friends, newly empowered, must decide who they want to be, and what they are willing to give up.
An aching love story and powerful coming-of-age, The Great Reclamation con- fronts the wounds of progress, the sacrifices of love, and the difficulty of defining home when nature and nation collide, literally shifting the land beneath people's feet.

"An extraordinary achievement-an epic love story set in a world at war within and without itself. I loved it." - Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace
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"Both an intimate love story and an epic historical tale that is sure to be read for years to come... Mesmerizes on every page." - Julie Otsuka, author of The Buddha in the Attic