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arceus997's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rujein's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Great Reclamation is a story about Singapore's history but it is also a very personal story about Boon, Siok Mei, Ma, Pa, Uncle, Hia, and everyone who lived in the same village. Starting in the 1930s before WWII, the novel traces the lives of Boon and those around him through the Japanese Occupation (albeit briefly), Singapore's independence and the communist period.
Boon starts off as a scrawny boy ill-suited to the fishing village in which he was born, but soon after the beginning of the novel, he is feted by his fellow villagers because he discovers magical islands which are aplenty with fish. Not sure what the islands represent, but if I hazarded a guess, perhaps the islands represent a respite from reality for Boon? In his childhood, the islands are a way for him to show his worth despite his lack of aptitude for fishing. In adulthood, these islands are the setting for the realisation of Boon's long-held feelings for Siok Mei, which are perhaps never realisable in reality. At the end of the novel, when Boon leads the Gah Men to the islands, it could represent the destruction of this fantasy, the subjugation of fantasy to reality (quite literally, since the sand will be used for reclamation). The door to a different path closes to Boon, despite him not really having actively chosen this path up till this moment, when he gives Siok Mei up to the authorities (a line which, before, he would never have crossed). However, I did feel that the islands were not thoroughly explored in the book - there was a large chunk in the middle where there was no mention of the islands altogether, and only brought back at the end when convenient.
The book raises questions but no answers about the march of progress and of what is given up in the process, and of tradition vs modernity. While I do think the book is a bit inclined towards idealising tradition/non-establishment and portrays the new Government as ruthless and out-of-touch, these ideas are not left without debate, as Boon and Natalie acknowledge the benefits that come with modernisation (notably, Natalie has 'altruistic' motivations for joining the government) and the communist movement seems rather nebulous (are they resisting for the sake of resisting? the very people they are fighting for don't seem very invested in their cause).
Ultimately, the personal histories in the book stood out more to me than the historical themes, perhaps because the main character Boon is someone who is very much driven by personal reasons, rather than principled ones. The way Boon makes his decisions, is that he sticks to someone/something and then he just does what they do. His initial 'support' of the communist cause is in fact just him following Siok Mei around. While joining the Government is the first independent decision that Boon makes, he joins because he craves structure and he sees that in the way that the new government is operating. He doesn't necessarily believe in what they are doing, but he knows that, with the Government, his next step is always clear. Later on, even when he proactively pursues Natalie, it is because he can see a clear path with her.
Even the more opiniated characters, who are vocal about their support for one cause or another, can ultimately trace their motivations back to more personal reasons. Siok Mei too, while seemingly driven by ideals (see: deferring Boon's declaration of love due to protest, choosing to be with Eng Soon because he fits into her envisioned life as a communist activist), is in fact just doing the same thing but with a twist: forever seeking to validate her parents' choice to leave her to support the communist cause by devoting herself to the same cause. This becomes clear by the end of the book, where she chooses to have an affair with Boon because of her personal feelings, and when she ultimately chooses to save her husband because she does not want her child to be fatherless as she was. On the other side, Uncle too is forever haunted by his past decision to encourage Pa to report to the Japanese; he develops an automatic distrust to all authority.
Boon starts off as a scrawny boy ill-suited to the fishing village in which he was born, but soon after the beginning of the novel, he is feted by his fellow villagers because he discovers magical islands which are aplenty with fish. Not sure what the islands represent, but if I hazarded a guess, perhaps the islands represent a respite from reality for Boon? In his childhood, the islands are a way for him to show his worth despite his lack of aptitude for fishing. In adulthood, these islands are the setting for the realisation of Boon's long-held feelings for Siok Mei, which are perhaps never realisable in reality. At the end of the novel, when Boon leads the Gah Men to the islands, it could represent the destruction of this fantasy, the subjugation of fantasy to reality (quite literally, since the sand will be used for reclamation). The door to a different path closes to Boon, despite him not really having actively chosen this path up till this moment, when he gives Siok Mei up to the authorities (a line which, before, he would never have crossed). However, I did feel that the islands were not thoroughly explored in the book - there was a large chunk in the middle where there was no mention of the islands altogether, and only brought back at the end when convenient.
The book raises questions but no answers about the march of progress and of what is given up in the process, and of tradition vs modernity. While I do think the book is a bit inclined towards idealising tradition/non-establishment and portrays the new Government as ruthless and out-of-touch, these ideas are not left without debate, as Boon and Natalie acknowledge the benefits that come with modernisation (notably, Natalie has 'altruistic' motivations for joining the government) and the communist movement seems rather nebulous (are they resisting for the sake of resisting? the very people they are fighting for don't seem very invested in their cause).
Ultimately, the personal histories in the book stood out more to me than the historical themes, perhaps because the main character Boon is someone who is very much driven by personal reasons, rather than principled ones. The way Boon makes his decisions, is that he sticks to someone/something and then he just does what they do. His initial 'support' of the communist cause is in fact just him following Siok Mei around. While joining the Government is the first independent decision that Boon makes, he joins because he craves structure and he sees that in the way that the new government is operating. He doesn't necessarily believe in what they are doing, but he knows that, with the Government, his next step is always clear. Later on, even when he proactively pursues Natalie, it is because he can see a clear path with her.
Even the more opiniated characters, who are vocal about their support for one cause or another, can ultimately trace their motivations back to more personal reasons. Siok Mei too, while seemingly driven by ideals (see: deferring Boon's declaration of love due to protest, choosing to be with Eng Soon because he fits into her envisioned life as a communist activist), is in fact just doing the same thing but with a twist: forever seeking to validate her parents' choice to leave her to support the communist cause by devoting herself to the same cause. This becomes clear by the end of the book, where she chooses to have an affair with Boon because of her personal feelings, and when she ultimately chooses to save her husband because she does not want her child to be fatherless as she was. On the other side, Uncle too is forever haunted by his past decision to encourage Pa to report to the Japanese; he develops an automatic distrust to all authority.
theiofthestorm's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ferociablejbear's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bibliopage's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a beautiful book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good historical fiction read! It follows two main characters and through them, we get to see a changing Singapore from the 1940s through the 1960s. It was truly fascinating and is one of the best books I have read this year!
ratcowe's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Despite the slow pace of the book I often found myself engrossed in the story of the shifting islands, kampongs, and of change and unable to put the book down.
minty's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I didn't really process this book--I found it fairly boring, and then would realize I had tuned things out. So this isn't an entirely fair review, BUT if it had been more compelling I wouldn't have tuned it out? Immersing myself in Singapore from that time was really interesting, though, since I have been to the country many times and my parents lived there, so I only know its modern incarnation.
madarzoe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
asyaqub's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75