How We Disappeared

By Jing-Jing Lee,

Book cover of How We Disappeared

Book description

Shortlisted for the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize

Longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown

Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked. Only three survivors remain, one of them a tiny child.

In a neighbouring village, seventeen-year-old Wang Di is bundled into the back…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked How We Disappeared as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The story of women trafficked into military brothels is one of the untold histories of war, as is the use of rape as a military weapon. The victims were often too ashamed of their wartime experiences, or too frightened of being accused of collaboration to speak out and as a result, the women’s voices and their traumas are silenced. Jing Jing Lee’s novel is about one such moment – that of Chinese women in Singapore forced to work as prostitutes for the Japanese soldiers. It is a masterpiece of storytelling. Evocative and heart rending, it tells of one woman’s survival…

Want books like How We Disappeared?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like How We Disappeared.

Browse books like How We Disappeared

Book cover of Alone in Berlin
Book cover of A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City
Book cover of A Long Long Way

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,517

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Japan, widows, and Singapore?

Japan 517 books
Widows 87 books
Singapore 37 books