I didn't know much about the writer having stumbled across the book via an Amazon Kindle recommendation. What is clear to me though is that this book was written by someone who knows and loves Penang. The descriptions of the sunlight in Penang and Penang's communities pre-Japanese occupation are rich, vivid, lyrical and joyful.
At the heart of the book is Philip Hutton, a young Eurasian boy, his search for a sense of belonging, his complex relationship with his Japanese sensei, Endo-san, and the impact it had on him when the Japanese occupation began. It is also a book about home and family.
The author has weaved mystical elements from Buddhism and Philip's Chinese heritage into the tale. These are familiar to me, as a Malaysian Chinese who has grown up hearing such tales. Nevertheless, they are used effectively in the story and treated in a new light here.
The teacher-student relationship, sometimes in lieu of a parent-child relationship, are highlighted here not just in Philip's relationship with his sensei, but also in 2 other main characters. Philip's best friend, Kon, also has an important relationship with his sensei, Tanaka-san. This perhaps represents the ideal sensei-student relationship as opposed to the complex one that Philip himself has. Philip's grandfather was a tutor to a forgotten emperor in China before he fled to Malaya. His grandfather's lesson to Philip via the telling of his story was that our fates are predetermined.
The tone of the book was restrained to begin with, as Philip was now an old man with a lifetime's practice of holding his secrets inside. As Philip delves into his past, the book's tone became more tender as he recollected when he first discovered love and family. In finally telling his tale, he finds a new measure of understanding and redemption of his life and the people he had loved.
The book was well-paced. I was hooked from the start reading about familiar people and places. The action during the Japanese occupation was gripping.
My only criticism is that the book seemed untidy in places especially in trying to reconcile the ideas of free will and predetermined fate.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I will perhaps also see Penang with new eyes when I visit it next.
At the heart of the book is Philip Hutton, a young Eurasian boy, his search for a sense of belonging, his complex relationship with his Japanese sensei, Endo-san, and the impact it had on him when the Japanese occupation began. It is also a book about home and family.
The author has weaved mystical elements from Buddhism and Philip's Chinese heritage into the tale. These are familiar to me, as a Malaysian Chinese who has grown up hearing such tales. Nevertheless, they are used effectively in the story and treated in a new light here.
The teacher-student relationship, sometimes in lieu of a parent-child relationship, are highlighted here not just in Philip's relationship with his sensei, but also in 2 other main characters. Philip's best friend, Kon, also has an important relationship with his sensei, Tanaka-san. This perhaps represents the ideal sensei-student relationship as opposed to the complex one that Philip himself has. Philip's grandfather was a tutor to a forgotten emperor in China before he fled to Malaya. His grandfather's lesson to Philip via the telling of his story was that our fates are predetermined.
The tone of the book was restrained to begin with, as Philip was now an old man with a lifetime's practice of holding his secrets inside. As Philip delves into his past, the book's tone became more tender as he recollected when he first discovered love and family. In finally telling his tale, he finds a new measure of understanding and redemption of his life and the people he had loved.
The book was well-paced. I was hooked from the start reading about familiar people and places. The action during the Japanese occupation was gripping.
My only criticism is that the book seemed untidy in places especially in trying to reconcile the ideas of free will and predetermined fate.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I will perhaps also see Penang with new eyes when I visit it next.
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