Full disclosure. This was not an easy book to read. Not because it was badly written. Because of the story it was telling. How We Disappeared tells the story of Wang Di and Kevin, two characters whose lives intersect across decades of family secrets. But this story is also a story of Singapore’s history in World War II, a subject I know shockingly little about. It’s a story about the trauma of war, and how that trauma manifests over the years and generations. How the barbarity and inhumanity of war can affect people decades after it’s over.
So no, How I Disappeared is not an easy book to read. But it is an important read. It’s been over 75 years since the last global conflict. And somehow, after everything we’ve learned since then, we find ourselves on the precipice of yet another one. Hopefully stories like this can remind us of what’s at stake. Of what’s truly worth fighting for.
Suggestions for artists I should check out? Please contact me with your ideas. I hope you enjoyed your daily helping of art!
