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How We Disappeared Paperback – April 21, 2020

by Jing-Jing Lee (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,189 ratings
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LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 WOMEN’S PRIZE

A LIBRARY JOURNAL EMERGING STARS PICK

A mesmerizing novel of World War II Singapore, “a story about memory, trauma, and ultimately love” (New York Times)—for fans of Pachinko and We Were the Lucky Ones

Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked, leaving only two survivors and one tiny child.

In a neighboring village, seventeen-year-old Wang Di is strapped into the back of a troop carrier and shipped off to a Japanese military brothel where she is forced into sexual slavery as a “comfort woman.” After sixty years of silence, what she saw and experienced still haunts her.

In the year 2000, twelve-year-old Kevin is sitting beside his ailing grandmother when he overhears a mumbled confession. He sets out to discover the truth, wherever it might lead, setting in motion a chain of events he never could have foreseen.

Weaving together two timelines and two very big secrets, this stunning debut opens a window on a little-known period of history, revealing the strength and bravery shown by numerous women in the face of terrible cruelty. Drawing in part on her family’s experiences, Jing-Jing Lee has crafted a profoundly moving, unforgettable novel about human resilience, the bonds of family and the courage it takes to confront the past.

If you loved The Lost Apothecary, You'll love How We Disappeared!
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 21, 2020
  4. Dimensions
    5.33 x 0.93 x 7.98 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1335013946
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1335013941
  7. See all details
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From the Publisher

Singapore, 1942
"A heart-breaking but hopeful story about memory, trauma and ultimately love." -- New York Times
"Deeply affecting." -- Financial Times

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jing-Jing Lee was born and raised in Singapore. She earned a master's degree in creative writing from Oxford in 2011 and has since seen her poetry and short stories published in various journals and anthologies. How We Disappeared is her first novel. She currently lives in Amsterdam.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hanover Square Press; Reissue edition (April 21, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1335013946
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1335013941
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.33 x 0.93 x 7.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,189 ratings

About the author

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Jing- Jing Lee

Jing- Jing Lee

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Jing-Jing Lee was born and raised in Singapore. She obtained a master's degree in Creative Writing from Oxford in 2011, and has since seen her poetry and short stories published in various journals and anthologies. Jing-Jing’s novella, If I Could Tell You, was published by Marshall Cavendish in 2013 and her debut poetry collection, And Other Rivers, was published by Math Paper Press in 2015. How We Disappeared is her first novel. She currently lives in Amsterdam.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
2,189 global ratings
A heartbreaking story of trauma, secrets, and family.
4 Stars
A heartbreaking story of trauma, secrets, and family.
How We Disappeared is a beautiful, heartbreaking historical fiction novel with an element of mystery. There are several different story lines woven together with different point-of-view characters, but the strongest part of the novel while, also perhaps being the most difficult to read, was Wang Di's experience. Wang Di is taken from her family during WWII and forced into sexual slavery as an innocuously named "comfort woman."Jing-Jing Lee's writing is beautiful and the character of Wang Di brings a personality to a very real tragedy that could otherwise feel quite distant and abstract in today's day and age. Despite the plethora of WWII historical fiction, there seem to be comparatively few novels which acknowledge the horrific abuse which "comfort women" suffered, much less the lack of understanding these women would have received from their fellow countrymen after the war. Despite the reality that this was a situation of sexual slavery, Wang Di knows that she cannot expect sympathy, and people will treat her as if she consented and, in doing so, betrayed her country to the Japanese invaders. Lee has portrayed that heartbreak and internalization of shame flawlessly.While Wang Di's story was much more dramatic, 12-year-old Kevin definitely won me over as well. His grandmother's deathbed confession turns his understanding of his family upside-down, and he is determined to solve the mystery without the aid of his father. While his story isn't exactly lighthearted, it definitely provides a counter balance to Wang Di's much darker storyline and feels like an adventure.Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed How We Disappeared, and definitely recommend it to fans of historical fiction. I've seen it recommended to fans of Pachinko several times, and while I understand the comparison, I do think How We Disappeared has much better pacing (and it's also about 150 pages shorter.) Jing-Jing Lee has brought an under-represented bit of history to life in this novel.My thanks to the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for a review.
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Top reviews from the United States

RJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwrenching and brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
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If you’re a fan of multigenerational/flashing back and forth between past and present historical fiction, this is an excellent pick. Really beautifully written, compelling, educational (like many Americans, I shamefully didn’t know much about this particular piece of history)…highly recommend
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sheree morgan
4.0 out of 5 stars Deep story
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020
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This novel is our book club book for the month in Singapore. It is well written and draws the reader in to the tale of Wang Di and her life before, during and after the Japanese invade the tiny island of Singapore. There are many references to the jungle, food and culture that make the book come alive with Singaporean intricacies. It also gives a glimpse of the harsh realities, of course of being a “comfort woman” during the war, but also as an average citizen of this country today. “Crazy, Rich Asians,” these are not. It is deep story on many levels. It was difficult for me to follow sometimes because of the constant back and forth. Each tale told when Wang Di is an old woman and while she is young interwoven within a mystery about who Kevin’s biological grandparents are was challenging to wrap my head around. In the end, the tapestry is complete and the reader is left with only one question. If you can be more patient than me, this book is well worth the read.
10 people found this helpful
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Un Comfortable Truths
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019
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It has taken me years to read a book like this. I have studied history to masters level, avoiding WWI & II as so many of my family were involved. I have heard too many first hand accounts of atrocities from WWI. I cried often as I read this.
Comfort Women, and their counterparts in Europe, were amongst the Biggest Atrocities of all. You can kill, but to do this is vicious and inhuman. The people involved, teenaged girls.
I took a stand in my teens, as I studied and listened. I will never visit Germany, nor Japan, nor Russia. I know what their soldiers did in the war in Europe, China and Holland. It’s my personal stand. I don’t preach, just state. I hold nothing against those born post 1945. It’s because of what I know, what I have heard first hand from those who saw. Funnily enough, the more I read, the more I studied over the next 40 years, my mind did not change.
What is appalling is that some of these ladies still live. Still suffer. Still try to live dignified lives.
We should all be grateful that we are able to read, not experience, this book.
This review is not meant to be offensive to anyone, but like any review a personal opinion. Take it that it was an excellent book that it could make a hardened Old Chook like me cry, often.
27 people found this helpful
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Terry M
3.0 out of 5 stars WWII in Singapore
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021
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This is a story of WWII in Singapore. I can honestly say I had never read about Singapore was effected before, which made this quite interesting. I had also never heard of "comfort women" before, although the concept doesn't shock me. War is brutal. The book has preWar chapters, during war, and postwar, including events in the year 2000. It's narrated by Wang Di and a young boy named Kevin who makes a shocking discovery.

The main characters are very well-rounded and the reader will want only good things for them. The minor characters are less well-rounded, but still given enough depth to distinguish them from other characters.

The setting is well written. Rain, every afternoon? The descriptions of the markets, the food, the lifestyle. It really was like being transported there.

The story, as above, is quite interesting, although heartbreaking at times.

I found the pace and unraveling of the story to be too slow. I believe it could have been done in fewer pages and less time.

I would recommend this to all fans of historical fiction.
7 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Terrible time in the worlds history.
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2023
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I have read so much about ww II as I was too little to have learned about the real horror. Nothing surprised me but it was so sad and so many suffered both emotionally and physically. The shame that the felt shouldn't have happened as they were slaves. A hard book to read but necessary if we are to avoid another war and it may happen.
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Vgibbs54
5.0 out of 5 stars a page turner for sure!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2023
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This is a very moving novel about the Japanese occupation in China and Singapore during WWII. The main characters are well developed and feel very real. I feel the pain, anguish, and suffering of these people as I sobbed for them. The language is beautiful and real.
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Sal Paradise
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning....beautiful...heartbreaking
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2021
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This is a jewel of a book. I learned so much through the story and beautifully full characters. The author takes the reader by the hand and leads one into a world that is unimaginably tragic. I am a longtime reader of WWII fiction and non-fiction so I have read about the horrors of war. However, I am a new reader of what occurred in the East during WWII. In many ways, it is the same story. Ordinary people, working hard for their families, have their lives upended and ruined for reasons they cannot begin to comprehend. The characters in this book are so true, so easy to love, that I will miss them. What an amazing and meaningful book!
3 people found this helpful
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Gloria Ghedini
4.0 out of 5 stars Diosturbing but necessary information
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2021
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The subject matter was of great interest to me, as I want to be aware of women's situations in different countries and eras. I knew nothing about Singapore but did recall how brutal the Japanese were during WWII. Even the Nazis were astounded!
Why I did not give five stars is due to the unpolished style of the author, but this is her first book and she certainly will improve.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars Ogni pagina è un nodo alla gola, ma da leggere!
Reviewed in Italy on August 30, 2022
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Ho iniziato il libro piangendo e l'ho finito piangendo. No, non esagero. How We Disappeared è diviso in 3 parti. Il libro racconta la vera tragedia delle "comfort women", ancora oggi poco studiata o conosciuta in Occidente, e spiega quello che hanno passato, come si sono sentite, come questo le ha lentamente cambiate e ha tirato fuori il loro spirito un tempo innocente e ottimista ora distrutto e chiuso. Tutta la loro infanzia è stata calpestata, distrutta e martoriata dalla guerra, tutto quello che queste donne hanno passato, incluso essere violentate ogni singolo giorno, è ancora oggi forte e vivida nella loro memoria. Alcune delle donne sopravvissute, oggi molto anziane, stanno ancora lottando contro il governo giapponese per il riconoscimento e il risarcimento dei crimini di guerra. Ma molte, come la protagonista di How We Disappeared di Jing-Jing Lee, non hanno mai parlato dei loro stupri. Come Wang Di, sono state umiliate dalla famiglia e dai vicini. E come Wang Di, hanno sofferto di disturbo da stress post-traumatico per il resto della loro vita. Il romanzo di Lee è una lettura inquietante e scomoda che documenta le atrocità dei soldati giapponesi di cui ancora oggi si parla poco. Incontriamo Wang Di per la prima volta all'età di 75 anni, quando ha appena perso il marito. Senza suo marito, Wang Di è un po' persa. Non ha più nessuno con cui passare le sue giornate. Non c'è niente che le riempia il tempo per impedirle di pensare a quello che le è successo durante la guerra. Due terzi di How We Disappeared raccontano gli anni strazianti trascorsi nella "black-and-white house" di Singapore. Il restante terzo di How We Disappeared è narrato da Kevin Lim, un giovane ragazzo vittima di bullismo che potrebbe perdere la vista. Poco prima di morire, la nonna di Kevin rivela un segreto sorprendente: ha trovato un bambino sopravvissuto a un massacro e che ha tenuto, anche dopo aver scoperto chi era il vero padre del bambino. How We Disappeared è difficile da leggere. Gran parte della mia motivazione a leggere la storia di Wang Di è venuta dalla mia consapevolezza che la storia delle "comfort women" non dovrebbe svanire o essere dimenticata. Come ogni crimine contro l'umanità, la storia deve essere raccontata in modo che non si ripeta mai più. Le donne che sono state costrette alla schiavitù sessuale dovrebbero essere ricordate per il loro coraggio e la loro volontà di sopravvivere a una delle cose peggiori che possano mai accadere a una persona. How We Disappeared è un libro di profonda perdita, ma il suo finale offre la speranza che anche la persona più ferita di noi possa imparare a raggiungere di nuovo gli altri e trarre conforto dalle persone. Quando Wang Di trova il coraggio di raccontare la sua storia, ho mentalmente tifato per lei. Spero che questo l'abbia aiutata a trovare pace e redenzione. Ho amato la resilienza di Wang Di, la determinazione e l'intraprendenza di Kevin, l'amore e la cura di Soon Wei per sua moglie.
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Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars Ogni pagina è un nodo alla gola, ma da leggere!
Reviewed in Italy on August 30, 2022
Ho iniziato il libro piangendo e l'ho finito piangendo. No, non esagero. How We Disappeared è diviso in 3 parti. Il libro racconta la vera tragedia delle "comfort women", ancora oggi poco studiata o conosciuta in Occidente, e spiega quello che hanno passato, come si sono sentite, come questo le ha lentamente cambiate e ha tirato fuori il loro spirito un tempo innocente e ottimista ora distrutto e chiuso. Tutta la loro infanzia è stata calpestata, distrutta e martoriata dalla guerra, tutto quello che queste donne hanno passato, incluso essere violentate ogni singolo giorno, è ancora oggi forte e vivida nella loro memoria. Alcune delle donne sopravvissute, oggi molto anziane, stanno ancora lottando contro il governo giapponese per il riconoscimento e il risarcimento dei crimini di guerra. Ma molte, come la protagonista di How We Disappeared di Jing-Jing Lee, non hanno mai parlato dei loro stupri. Come Wang Di, sono state umiliate dalla famiglia e dai vicini. E come Wang Di, hanno sofferto di disturbo da stress post-traumatico per il resto della loro vita. Il romanzo di Lee è una lettura inquietante e scomoda che documenta le atrocità dei soldati giapponesi di cui ancora oggi si parla poco. Incontriamo Wang Di per la prima volta all'età di 75 anni, quando ha appena perso il marito. Senza suo marito, Wang Di è un po' persa. Non ha più nessuno con cui passare le sue giornate. Non c'è niente che le riempia il tempo per impedirle di pensare a quello che le è successo durante la guerra. Due terzi di How We Disappeared raccontano gli anni strazianti trascorsi nella "black-and-white house" di Singapore. Il restante terzo di How We Disappeared è narrato da Kevin Lim, un giovane ragazzo vittima di bullismo che potrebbe perdere la vista. Poco prima di morire, la nonna di Kevin rivela un segreto sorprendente: ha trovato un bambino sopravvissuto a un massacro e che ha tenuto, anche dopo aver scoperto chi era il vero padre del bambino. How We Disappeared è difficile da leggere. Gran parte della mia motivazione a leggere la storia di Wang Di è venuta dalla mia consapevolezza che la storia delle "comfort women" non dovrebbe svanire o essere dimenticata. Come ogni crimine contro l'umanità, la storia deve essere raccontata in modo che non si ripeta mai più. Le donne che sono state costrette alla schiavitù sessuale dovrebbero essere ricordate per il loro coraggio e la loro volontà di sopravvivere a una delle cose peggiori che possano mai accadere a una persona. How We Disappeared è un libro di profonda perdita, ma il suo finale offre la speranza che anche la persona più ferita di noi possa imparare a raggiungere di nuovo gli altri e trarre conforto dalle persone. Quando Wang Di trova il coraggio di raccontare la sua storia, ho mentalmente tifato per lei. Spero che questo l'abbia aiutata a trovare pace e redenzione. Ho amato la resilienza di Wang Di, la determinazione e l'intraprendenza di Kevin, l'amore e la cura di Soon Wei per sua moglie.
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Lalit Bijlani
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Awesome
Reviewed in India on February 25, 2022
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A story woven into facts. A story of the extent of cruelty of the Japanese… a story of what war does to the souls of both oppressed and oppressors. Simply but superbly written. A must read!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A heart-breaking, amazingly written, fantastic book! Must Read!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
As you can imagine the topic of this book is really hard to digest and the story is not easy to read. I had tears in my eyes from the first few pages of chapter one and throughout the book I felt my emotions fluctuating with every page I read. Despite that, I really enjoyed reading this book and it's a book I will go back to again and again in the future. The story is told beautifully and it draws you in immediately. This book will stay with you in your mind for days and weeks after reading it. I would definitely recommend it but just bare in mind that it could not be suitable for people who may not have the mental capacity to read a book about this kind of topic.
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Balmoral
5.0 out of 5 stars Unfassbar intensiv
Reviewed in Germany on December 31, 2019
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Ein unfassbar intensives Buch, ich hoffe, dass es bald auch auf deutsch erhältlich sein wird.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars True Grit
Reviewed in Australia on January 13, 2023
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It took some time to get into this book but I am glad I did, it does give an insight into the war in Asia and in particular Singapore, Having been to the War Museum myself in Singapore I fully understood where the story came from and led to. It is quite confronting in places.
History of war needs to be told to the newer generations so we can avoid another there are no winners.
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