The Great Reclamation
1941, Singapore: As British imperialism declines and WWII looms, seven-year-old Ah Boon and the Lee family struggle to survive in their southeastern coastal fishing village (kampong). Gifted with an unusual talent, Ah Boon discovers “disappearing” islands teeming with fish, but no one believes the fantastic story until he leads them to the mysterious isles. The kampong prospers, and Ah Boon becomes a favorite son. The Japanese occupy the island and execute Ah Boon’s father within the year. At his mother’s insistence, Ah Boon attends a local school where he meets Siok Mei, a spirited young girl abandoned by her parents, loyalists who joined Chinese Mainland rebels. Ah Boon and Siok Mei become inseparable, and their childhood friendship blossoms.
During their teens, Ah Boon’s love for Siok Mei deepens, but Siok Mei remains committed to her parents’ patriotic ideals. She convinces Ah Boon to study with her at the city’s middle school. They leave the village to further their education, becoming aligned with student activists. Their paths diverge as Siok Mei relentlessly pursues leftist reform. Ah Boon, disillusioned with politics and love, returns to the kampong. He accepts employment with a government agency, soon assigned to the Great Reclamation, a massive ten-year program designed to modernize the country. As the dramatic transformations unfold, evidencing the powerful, often devastating impact on human life and ecology, Ah Boon and Siok Mei, intrinsically bonded by their past, are forced to make heart-wrenching choices that forever change their lives.
Rachel Heng’s five-part saga vividly portrays 20th-century Singapore’s tumultuous transition into a modern, industrialized nation. Masterfully juxtaposing beauty and brutality, Heng weaves vibrant, lyrical prose into a sensuous, detailed tapestry of Asian rural and urban life. Her superbly crafted, nuanced reveal of complex human relationships and the power of place create a mesmerizing tale of love, loss, and sacrifice.
