Mom had given me a copy of this book a couple years ago and I never quite got to it. Needing a new novel, I gave it a try. It was really good - one part of the story took place during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII and the other took place a few decades later. The author captured the feel of Hong Kong in both eras very well; I wasn't really familiar with this culture before then.
In the more recent story, an Englishwoman named Claire comes to Hong Kong as a newlywed, only to find that her husband travels a lot and she is lonely. She takes a job teaching piano for an affluent Chinese family, where she begins an affair with their chauffeur Will, an Englishman. In the story taking place during WWII, Will falls in love with a half-Chinese woman. During the Japanese occupation, he is interned in a camp but she isn't; both of them make difficult choices to survive the war.
This book was an amazing combination of excellent storytelling, strong character development, clear time-and-place setting, and obstacles for the characters to stumble over. I really enjoyed it.
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