Annotation
"This novel chronicles the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in World War II. Central to the story is one Chinese family. Claude, the son, raised along with his sister to be more British than the British, is profoundly ashamed of his own heritage. Humphrey, the father whose allegiance to the Empire blinds him to the idea of defeat, is also blind to the afternoon assignations of his decorative wife, Cynthia. Observing both the family and the larger landscape is the redoubtable Grandma Siok, whose sage advice and quotations from the ancient Art of War fall on deaf ears. And then there is Ling-Li, the elusive young woman - part nurse, part warrior - who guards secrets." "When the British defenses crumble, so too does Claude's world. Beset by war, betrayal, and, finally, torture, he is forced to acknowledge and embrace his true identity."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Characters
| Name | Lim, Claude |
| Gender | Male |
| Name | Lim, Humphrey |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Traits | Married |
| Father | |
| Wealthy | |
| Name | Grandma Siok |
| Gender | Female |
| Trait | Grandmother |
| Name | Han, Ling-li |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupations | Nurse |
| Spy |
| Genre | Coming of age Domestic Fiction Historical War |
| Topics | Family relationships World War II Japanese occupation Horror of war Espionage Identity Heritage Loyalty Duty |
| Setting | Singapore Occupied country |