The Japanese Lover

Rani Manicka, 2010

When I heard about this book a few months ago, I was so excited because it was written by the same author who wrotes "The Rice Mother", my favourite book of all! So when I found it during my last visit to MPH, I grabbed it without any doubt.

Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I'd expected. While I love the author's initiative to include some history elements in her book, this time however I think she has overdone it by putting too much different plot..especially towards the end where she touches on May 13th 1969 tragedy and Hindraf issue, which I think it has nothing to do with her main story. And, I would like to love the "Maya" character, a servant as well as a healer (as stated in the book) as her words and views towards every challenge in life was always positives. However, I do think that the author overdone this character by making she(Maya) says some too good or too big things to be said, which makes the character lost the natural side of it.

I would love this book more if it focus only on the key point, an Indian woman (she was from Ceylon) life and her value of love. It would be magnificent enough with the Indian tradition relates to the Japanese occupation era in Malaya.

★★★

However, I finally reached my target - 25 books in 2010!
:)