The twenty-fourth book that I’ve finished reading this year is Tan Twan Eng’s “The Garden of Evening Mists”. Thanks to my secret Santa for gifting me this very aptly chosen gift; clearly my Santa has taken my background into consideration. Set in the Cameron Highlands of Malaya, this book presents a lyrical depiction of South East Asia’s tropical forest landscapes, within which an exotic Japanese garden,?

Yugiri

, is planted by the Emperor’s gardener, Arimoto. Told through the lens of a former prisoner of war, Yun Ling, the story unravels as she approaches Arimoto with the hopes of creating a garden in the memory of her late sister. The beginning took me by some surprise as Yun Long does not immediately reveal her ordeals in the imprisonment camp. As a result, the preamble seemed rather long, and at times trickled into boredom. I was also confused about the relationship that developed between Yun Ling and Arimoto; it seemed to me that neither had any good reason to start the apprenticeship. However, as I read on, stories from both sides of the war touched me profoundly, and I began to ponder the futility of war. Perhaps the two protagonists are like leaves that have fallen astray from their trees, each stranded alone, with only the other to confide in their unspeakable past. I don’t think Yun Ling has ever forgiven the Japanese, nor has Arimoto truly atoned for the sins of his country, but they had certainly compromised to an extent where their hearts were at peace with each other. Perhaps their losses drew a connection between them, allowing them to empathise and reverberate. Despite the sometimes paradoxical plot, the refined language portrays convincing landscapes and atmospheres, emanating wistful undertones from the Japanese garden to the depth of the rainforest. Before I read this book, I did not know that the mountains in Malaya were cool, contrary to my belief that the climate in South East Asia is hot and humid. The Japanese arts of ukiyo-e,??horimono and sakuteiki also brought exotic touches to this novel. Overall, I would recommend anyone interested in South East Asian and Japanese culture to have a dip into this book. As the story progresses, nostalgia sets in, and memories and revisited with a new air of serenity.