A review by willowbiblio
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

5.0

I read this book in about a day. I just could not put it down. It was a riveting depiction of a young boy's horrific experience in Shanghai and the neighboring areas during World War II. I was fascinated by Jim's (main character) lack of emotional response to his experiences and his calculating madness. The fact that this is a depiction of the author's own true history makes it even more compelling. Would 100% recommend, with the warning that it was a sort of trauma to realize just how terrible this time was for so many people.