A different sky

Well researched novel that is familiar and yet foreign. Covering Singapore from its colonial days to just before independence, it reads easily as a piece of historical fiction, and keeps me interested enough to keep going to the Internet to research on the incidents mentioned in the book. For those who think that Singapore history is dreary, this is a good way to bring it to life. As for the story and characters, somehow it seems that the historical backdrop overwhelms the characters, and they appear as bit players to the story of an emerging nation. Still, that's probably not a failure of the book. Thumbs up.