Selina Siak Chin Yoke is the author of The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds, her first book in the Malayan Series. Of Malaysian Chinese heritage, she grew up listening to family stories and ancient legends, always knowing that one day she would write. After an eclectic life as a theoretical physicist, investment banker, and trader in London, the heavens intervened. In 2009, Chin Yoke was diagnosed with cancer, the second major illness she had to battle. While recovering, she decided not to delay her dream of writing any longer. She is currently working on her third book and also writes a blog about Malaysia at www.siakchinyoke.com/blog.
“The British have abandoned Malaya (as it was then known), and the
Japanese occupation has begun. Mei Foong cherishes Malayan and
Chinese culture, telling her children classic Chinese tales to
imbue them with the sense of their classical past. Her life seems
bleak until she meets Chew Hock San, who helps her and her children
during a surprise bombing.…This is a novel of survival and
love.…Excellent historical fiction!” —Historical Novel Society
“An atmospheric account of family in wartime.…Siak writes with
genuine dramatic flair, vivid feeling for atmosphere, and a keen
sense of dramatizing history. Highly recommended.” —South China
Morning Post
“An exciting read…Stirring and realistic, When the Future Comes Too
Soon is a dynamic examination of the Japanese attack on British
Malaya and the tenuousness of love in war, told from the rare
perspective of local Malayan-Chinese.” —Asian Review of Books
“This isn’t just a story of survival; it’s a tale of love during
wartime, of wavering loyalties, and of Malayan and Chinese culture.
When the Future Comes Too Soon is a thoughtfully written book with
a very human touch.” —Culture Fly
“As Malayan society grapples with the changes brought on by war and
occupation, Mei Foong barters away pieces of her existence in order
to survive, and rebuild and reclaim her life. She must finally
contend with the realization that one could only wholly reclaim
oneself by acts of self-assertion requiring greater courage than
needed merely to survive. When the Future Comes Too Soon…is an
intricately drawn network of human relationships.” —Musharraf Ali
Farooqi, author of Man Asian Literary Prize-shortlisted Between
Clay and Dust
“Selina Siak Chin Yoke has created an intensely visceral evocation
of life in Malaya during World War II, when a young wife and her
family confront the harshness of life under the Japanese occupation
and the ethnic polarization it causes. Mei Foong is a hauntingly
original character, torn between loyalty to her family and the risk
of betrayal—a woman who fatefully defies the constricting
conventions of her society.” —María Dueñas, author of New York
Times bestselling The Time in Between
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