Lakshmi arrives in Malaya to marry a supposedly rich man. Reality is very different. By nineteen she has five children. When the Japanese invade, she hides her eldest daughter under the floorboards. The story of what happens and the effect on all their lives is narrated in turns by the mother, her children and grandchildren, each with their own perspective of personalities and events. Steeped in myth and magic, gods and ghosts, it constantly enthrals.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 17 February 2003 ) |
