Lying Eyes

Something of a surprise and an informative treat.

I have only ever read before of the Japanese invasion of Singapore from a British perspective in books about surrender with harsh imprisonment and from TV series like Tenko.

I am indebted to the author and the publishers of this moving story for enlightening me about the lives of ordinary citizens who endured these war years.

The book through its characters shows us there is no glamour in war. Neither is there scope for an apologist response to justify a victor’s cruelty and indiscriminate killing and certainly little chance to forgive and forget.

What I like about such books is both the authentic voice and the scope to resonate with modern times and more recent conflicts and wars.

Lying eyes is clever title and questions what we observe and remember. What different circumstances and social mores bring to our interactions. How we can bury and wall up the past but within our dreams, clarity of vision brings to remembrance things we’d like to purge and forget.

The fluidity in the text around who these people are; what the necessity to survive allowed them to become, means we find conflicted attitudes to actions taken in life and death situations. How can we judge? Is survival justified at the expense of others? If people can’t forgive themselves how can we understand and embrace their humanity.

The special aspect of the writing is, apart from revenge some participants demonstrate, the author takes an even handed approach to these dark events. They are revealed in a gentle way; the horrors are not masked or shared to gratify. The writer explains and informs with dignity. The terrible actions are hard to read but are presented within the context of this well crafted story.

It is a very reflective piece that will change those who read it. as perhaps should all good literature.

I found this to be a thoughtful emotional read. It opened my eyes to an aspect of history that I knew nothing about. It was also underpinned with an endearing love story that ultimately touched all the main characters

I enjoyed the novel. I’m glad to have learned something about the history of Singapore during the Japanese occupation of World War II. The characters are sympathetic, and the plot is well conceived. I did find a few errors such as when a character’s physical pain was being described in third person and then immediately there is a sentence written in first person and then the next sentence reverts back to third person. Disconcerting and distracting. There was also a bit too much repetition in, for instance, describing the tiny bumps in a woman’s aureoles. But on the whole, a fine and enlightening effort. The paths the main characters took which crossed with one another seem logical and even foreordained.

Food for thought. I recommend this book.