The Thorn of Lion City: A Memoir - Softcover

Lum, Lucy

3.52

132 ratings by Goodreads

9781586486051: The Thorn of Lion City: A Memoir

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1586486055 ISBN 13: 9781586486051

Publisher: PublicAffairs,U.S., 2008

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Lucy Lum was born in Singapore in 1933, into a Chinese immigrant family ruled with an iron hand by Popo, her fearsome and superstitious grandmother. By the 1940s, the former British colony is living under the specter of the invading Japanese, and fear floods the streets. Lucys father finds himself being used as a translator for the occupiers, and brings back terrifying stories of his merciless employers. Heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant, The Thorn of Lion City offers a fascinating account of wartime occupation and of the softly-spoken, redemptive love between a father and daughter.

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Review:

'Lucy Lum, who now lives in London, recalls these war years – both domestic and international – with pared-down elegance. The events she recounts are vividly shocking...and are described with a quiet matter-of-factness. But there is nothing resigned or despairing in this account. Instead, her observations are full of emotional weight, a cool anger that is all the more potent in its restraint. But more than anything she loves her father, it is his company she craves, his stories that she longs to hear. One senses that is was his affection and respect that gave the already courageous Lum the strength and determination to survive her childhood with her spirit and hope intact.' Daily Mail

‘“The Thorn of Lion City” is a remarkable story of a matriarchal household in Singapore, full of superstitions and domestic human rights violations and the liberating kindness of a devoted father, against the brutal background of the Japanese invasion. It is wonderfully told and has a bright filament of honesty.’ Hugo Hamilton

‘Set against the Japanese invasion of Singapore, “The Thorn of Lion City “ is a heart-wrenching story of a young girl’s blossoming away from her grandmother’s cruel and repressive Chinese values. Brave and compelling, it opens an important and forgotten page of twentieth-century history.’ Yiyun Li

About the Author:

Lucy Lum grew up in Singapore and moved to England in 1970. She lives in London.

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