Meira Chand
Fiction
I tried with this book. I really, truly tried. As you know, I’m not one of those people who keeps pushing through when I’m not enjoying a novel—I’ll stop one chapter in if I’m not feeling it. But I almost felt bad doing it with this one. Probably because the writing style reminded me of my all-time, number one favorite novel, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (if you haven’t read it, go out and get it now, you will not be sorry).
So if I liked the writing style, what was the problem with A Different Sky? Well, the story revolves around, once again, World World II. I need to stop picking up these fiction books set during wars. Three different young people living in Singapore grow up and apart while the island struggles to free itself from British rule. Sounds good, right? I’ve always liked epic novels. But the descriptions of war are awful. They’re accurate, of course, but I just couldn’t stand reading about dead bodies, guts being strewn everywhere, and soldiers being mistreated. Plus, none of the characters particularly drew me in. And where were all these “magnificent” romances a review on the back mentions? None of the love stories came even close to being magnificent, let alone making me want to read more.
All the blood and guts and sorrow and lack of romance led me to put this book down halfway through. I was reluctant to do so, because Chand is a very good writer. But I just couldn’t handle it anymore. For those of you with a strong stomach and enjoyment of reading about wars, you’ll love this. Anyone else should skip it.
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