In A Bit of Earth, Suchen Christine Lim deftly weaves historical fact and a fiery imagination in a visually powerful multicultural story that spans three generations and four decadesproving once again that she is one of Asias leading fiction writers.
Malaya. A land of unparalleled richness. For centuries, the peninsula has attracted fortune hunters, money-grabbing pirates and migrants seeking a better life. Among those whose lives are rooted in the Malayan soil are three families: the Wongs, sons of the Chinese earth; the Wees, subjects of the English gods; and the Mahmuds, scions of the Malayan soil; each with different dreams for the bit of earth they live on. Their destinies meet and this clash of hopes inevitably leads to tragedy.
A Bit of Earth chronicles the visceral and cultural struggle of a young Chinese immigrant to survive in an equally struggling Malayan nation
The immigrant earns his bit of earth only by continuously re-inventing himself and by negotiation with the forces of history. Lily Rose Tope, Professor, Department of English & Comparative Literature, University of the Philippines
