This book made me so sad and angry, while also managing to contain occasional tender moments that made the misery bearable. While the treatment Wang Di received at the hands of the Japanese wasn’t exactly a surprise,

I was really upset by how she was treated upon her return, not just by her neighbours, but by her brother

. I had to take a break to sit and have a think (and a cry) when I finished. 

I liked the Kevin storyline, but I wish that it had been slightly less depressing, and also better developed. I wanted it to both counteract the horror of what I was reading about Wang Di, and also move and engage me in the same way. 

As a side note: I knew nothing about the history of Singapore, and this book provided me with a really interesting introduction to the country. I would like to read more. 

How We Disappeared was a page-turner. A novel that weaves the past atrocities of the WWII Japanese Occupation in Singapore, specifically on comfort women, and its aftermath. The story follows 2 perspective, Wang Di and Kevin, through 2 different timelines. Personally I enjoyed the 2 different timelines and Kevin's story. It is very slow paced and a little long but I think it's a welcomed break from Wang Di's heartbreaking past. The present timeline also provides some Singaporean Chinese cultural context and it makes the story fuller and realistic.  Lee handles the topic with sensitivity and she presented different aspects of the misogyny Wang Di faced, the shaming and shunning and the internalised misogyny. I didn't enjoy the ambiguous ending but I could guess the reason why Lee had done so. Overall, I think this is a book worth reading. However, don't expect a history lesson from it.