Reviews with content warning for Death - How We Disappeared

I’m so happy I found this book. It tells a story that many of those living in Japanese-occupied Singapore / Malaya know but rarely tell.

World war 2 is often told from a European and male perspective. How we disappeared tells us about horrors of the war rarely told in the western world - and from a female perspective. This book is incredibly important and I urge everyone to read it. It’s not a light-hearted read by any means. The main characters are so human and gracefully written, I see so many elements of family members I know in Wang Di, her family and Kevin’s father which made this reading experience even more emotional and important.

I disagree with many of the reviews on here saying that Kevin’s part was unnecessary / interrupted Wang Di’s tale. I thought it was important for many reasons:
- this story would have been extremely heavy to read without the contrast of Kevin.
- Kevin represents hope, a new generation, our generation, who doesn’t want to bury the past in the past. His willingness to search for Ah Ma’s lost history contrasts the typical mindset of older Asian generations to never speak about trauma and let the past die.

- without Kevin, Wang Di would never have got the closure she sorely needed and deserved. According to the book’s narrative, she would have never even told her story. And despite all of the injustice done to her in her life, finally she can grow old with a loving family that chooses her, and helps her to deal with her trauma.

Content Warnings

cerilou's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I stumbled across this book whilst looking for books based on refugees for a reading challenge.

I have never really ventured in to reading historical fiction set in Asian countries especially around World War Two, Asian historical fiction is a sub genre that I was unaware of and I am a little disappointed to admit this.

This was a very moving, intriguing, informative and inspiring read that I am glad that I stumbled upon by chance and I am certainly going to aim to add more Asian historical fiction to my TBR list.

How we disappeared follows Wang Di during the war as a ‘comfort woman’ for the Japanese soldiers during World War Two, as well as Kevin who ventures on a discovery of the truth based on this ailing grandmother.

I certainly feel that I have learnt a very small snippet of Asian history from reading this book during World War Two and it broke my heart that this sort of thing happened and the horror and sense of shame is most certainly felt for the duration of the stories. Jing Jing Lee has done these women justice through this story about what the different families went through during World War Two.

I will mention that it may cause triggers concerning rape, sexual assault, abuse

Content Warnings

alusig's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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ktrain3900's review

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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.

Content Warnings

katiedatie21's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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keira_cf's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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betag1013's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.75

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