Ian Buruma's epic novel is the richly imagined story of one woman's struggle to survive in the face of war and occupation in the Far East during the Second World War. It should appeal to anyone who loved Memoirs of a Geisha.'Spare, elegant... Buruma's writing is wonderful... So beautifully executed ...

Ian Buruma's epic novel is the richly imagined story of one woman's struggle to survive in the face of war and occupation in the Far East during the Second World War. It should appeal to anyone who loved Memoirs of a Geisha.'Spare, elegant... Buruma's writing is wonderful... So beautifully executed that the reader is swept along.' Vanora Bennett, The Times