The Rice Mother

This is one of those books that I have to read slowly. It's just delicious to read and I couldn't put it down. At the same time, I didn't want to rush through it so I kept forcing myself to read it slowly, to savor the progress even when I wanted to rush through it to figure out what happens.

Taking place in Malaysia before, during and after World War 2, it follows a family, beginning in its infancy with a child-bride having babies, finding her place and comfort in her family. During the Japanese invasion, a tragedy strikes and the impact of that tragedy is far-reaching.

The story switches viewpoints very deftly, so that you get to see the same story from different viewpoints, different facets of the same gem. The descriptions are rich and vivid. The landscape, the food, the relations, the horrors of the occupation, the joys and sorrows. All are beautifully described, as part of story in such a way that each paragraph moves it forward and is crucial.