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Breaking the Tongue by Vyvyane Loh

Breaking the Tongue

Vyvyane Loh

When Singapore falls to the Japanese in World War II, young Claude Lim finds himself questioning everything he has believed in. The framework for this vivid story is Lim's torture by the Japanese - the experience for the reader is both enlightening and heartbreaking.

Extract
You don't want the Body to tell too much, to say anything that would be misread or jeopardise friends and family, and if anyone had suggested this possiblity a mere few days ago, you would have laughed it off. Absurd that he would know anything at all that would be of interest to the Japanese, or implicate anyone. As Ling-li would have scoffed - Claude, of all people!
Parallels
  • The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
  • Wild Swans: Three daughters of China by Jung Chang

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