by Tan Twan Eng
First published 2009
Philip Hutton stands at sixteen on the island of Penang in 1939, caught between his Chinese mother's heritage and his English father's trading empire. Neither community accepts him fully. When he meets Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat, Philip finally finds someone who understands him. Endo becomes his mentor, teaching him aikido and Japanese culture while Philip shows him around the tropical island he loves. Their friendship deepens until the Japanese army invades Malaya in brutal fashion. Philip discovers that Endo, his trusted sensei, has been spying for the enemy all along. Philip has unknowingly betrayed his own people. Now he must choose between loyalty to his mentor and saving his family and neighbors. As the war tears through Penang, Philip works in secret to rescue as many lives as he can while his family's fortune crumbles around them.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, asian-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Penang, Malaya
Period: 1939
450 pages · Paperback · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: war