Rachel Heng tells the story of Singapore in the mid-twentieth century, an amazing story of a tiny country changing from a rural colonial backwater to Asia's economic powerhouse in barely a generation. There's no doubt that Singapore's development in such a short period of time is impressive. But what has all this change and progress meant for the people who have had to make adjustments to their entire lives?

Ah Boon, the main character, is the son of a fisherman, born in a rural fishing village. His ability to "find" islands no one else can see, and the bounty that his village harvests from fishing these islands, earns him the chance to attend school. But his education is interrupted, first by the Japanese invasion that subjugates Singapore and kills his father, then by the demonstrations and protests of the Singaporean independence movement. Despite his love for Siok Mei, a girl from his village who becomes an enthusiastic revolutionary, Ah Boon cannot completely reject his connections to his family and his village. Instead, he takes a job with the Gah Men (government) in the hope of making life better for everyone. But he finds himself embroiled in conflicts between the traditional life and the promise of the bright future for his country.

The Great Reclamation, named for the Singapore government's project of creating more land for the island country by filling in the bay with sand, thus destroying the livelihood Ah Boon's village, is a perfect example of what so many people are facing today as their traditional ways of life are obliterated by economic development. Heng's beautiful descriptions of the natural world and village life really emphasize everything that the villagers are losing. She also has great sympathy for her characters and the difficult choices that they face. Nothing is black and white; all their decisions are haunted by the knowledge that they will affect so many others.

I was very glad that I found this book, as there's not a lot available on modern Singaporean history in the U.S. It probably helps to have a little knowledge of the general events of postwar Singapore. This is also a book that could have really used a glossary! But the story is compelling and the characters sympathetic enough to be worth reading even if you have to do a little bit of Googling. ( )

4.5 ( )

I knew almost nothing about Singapore, but this well-written novel tells so much history while focusing on one particular family. Ah Boon is the second son of a fisherman. Although life is hard, the family is close-knit, loving with many friends in the village. When very young, Ah Boon, on a fishing trip with his father sees islands that no one else sees. That day, many fish are caught giving enough money for Ah Boon to attend school in the village. Here he meets Siok Mei, a bright confident girl. They become fast friends.

The friendship between Ah Boon and Mei continues through their teen years but Mei becomes increasingly radical in her political beliefs bringing Ah Boon into her circle of friends. Eventually, due to pressure from his family and his own questioning, Ah Boon and Mei separate. Ah Boon's father is taken into the military along with his uncle who has been like a father. The father is killed by the Japanese but the uncle returns home.

Eventually Ah Boon manages to get a job as a community organizer and employed by the suspicious Gah Men (Government after WWII). He learns better English, he wears better clothes, and he meets different people. Although many in the village are suspicious of him, his warm personality wins many people over and he has much success in his job. Here he meets Valarie, a young woman from a wealthy family.

There were many times that I had to look up references, words, and some history to fully understand. However, this book provides such a good picture of how national politics affects individuals and families on a daily basis.

The "great reclamation" refers to the fact that the new Singapore government literally built the city of Singapore up from the ocean, bringing huge amounts of sand to build up the land. However, the reclamation project itslef caused drastic changes to the fishing village which was right on the beach. The noise of huge machinery was terrible and people were very distraught. At the same time, the government was building many floored flats for the people to move into. Ah Boon was persuasive and most families saw the advantages including his older brother who was a fisherman. The Uncle, however, was so opposed and there is a huge tension between the two. Yet, the family is portrayed so believable, with arguments, hurts, yet support and love. I especially liked Ah Boon's mother, the sister of Uncle, who tries so hard to keep peace.

Mei remains as a political radical and is imprisoned and Ah Boon is drawn back to her even though he is now engaged to Natalie. The ending of the book kept me reading and loving all these people.

So well-written, so interesting, and although the characters deal with so many problems - fishing, poverty, change, they remain strong and optimistic. Great read. ( )

There is so much history and politics in this novel made personal by the tight focus on the characters and the way it shapes their lives and relationships. The Great Reclamation follows Ah Boon from early childhood up through adulthood, showing how his way of life and his place in his community changes through World War II and the Japanese occupation to the push for independence and modernization following the war.

I enjoyed how the characters' relationships were tested and shaped by these events and their politics but also by their hang-ups and enduring personality traits. The characters always felt like themselves even as they went through so many changes and even as you could see how their lives might have gone differently. Despite their different perspectives and the conflicts between them, so many of the characters were sympathetic and complex, with their conflicts being not right v. wrong, but different ideas of what 'progress' or 'improvement' means and what they should be willing to sacrifice for it, if anything at all.

Seeing Ah Boon's life in vivid detail from childhood, created a wonderful tension between a past that is in some ways sweet and nostalgic and in others cut with grief, a present where that past is already being inexorably eroded largely outside the characters' controls, and the various futures they hope to shape. ( )