The Singapore Secret
A cosy, dual-timeline novel set in 2019 England and 1930s/1940s Singapore. We start with the modern timeline where, amidst the likely breakdown of her relationship with her boyfriend, Annabel heads to Cornwall for her grandmother Dotty’s 100th birthday celebrations. Sadly, soon after, Dotty dies and Annabel comes across a hidden cache of documents indicating that Dotty had actually been in Singapore, despite denying ever having left England.
The novel then moves backwards and forwards between the two timelines as Dotty’s adventures in Singapore are revealed: 1930s high society, then life under the Japanese occupation and Changi prison camp. As Annabel continues her investigating into Singapore, family secrets are gradually revealed although the reader may well have worked them out several chapters before they are confirmed. The death of Dotty’s mother in the 1940s timeline also loses some of its emotional punch, as Annabel has already read her death certificate in the 2019 timeline. Contains a brief open-door sex scene and some light swearing.
An enjoyable debut and a welcome addition to the growing number of novels exploring the impact of WW2 in Asia.
