Why do I read these horrible war novels?? I mean it was amazing, 5 stars, but why??

In 1937, Malaysia is occupied by the British. Cecily is a mother of two who spies for the Japanese, who promise to liberate her country and make Asia strong. Ten years later, the Japanese occupation is just as brutal as the British one, if not more.

The story is told from four POVs, Cecily and her three children, and two timelines. Even though they are obviously related and the stories intersect sometimes, they still all have their own separate stories, and all of them are grim. Jasmin and Yuki's story is definitely the one that destroyed my emotions the most.

It was interesting to read a book about real history where neither the oppressor nor the oppressed are white. Instead it's a conflict between two Asian nations who might be considered "basically the same" by Europeans or white Americans, when that couldn't be further from the truth.