Rachel Heng – författare

'An extraordinary achievement . . . Every page pulses with mud and magic' Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace'A monumental epic . . . I was spellbound' Nathan Harris, author of The Sweetness of Water'Alive to the beauty and mystery of the natural world as well as the human heart'Jessamine Chan, author of The School for Good Mothers'Ah Boon's story will stay with me for a long time' Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We KeptAh Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore, in the waning years of British rule. He is a gentle boy, who is not much interested in fishing, preferring to spend his days playing with the neighbour girl, Siok Mei. But when he discovers he has the unique ability to locate bountiful, movable islands that no one else can find, he feels a new sense of obligation and possibility - something to offer the community and impress the spirited girl he has fallen in love with.By the time they are teenagers, Ah Book and Siok Mei are caught in the tragic sweep of history: the Japanese army invades, the resistance rises and the future of their fishing village is in jeopardy. As the nation hurtles towards rebirth, the two friends must carve out their fate and decide who they will become - and what they are willing to give up.This is a powerful coming-of-age, of both a young boy and a country, as well as an aching love story, that confronts the wounds of progress, the sacrifices of love, and the difficulty of defining home when nature and nation collide.

WINNER OF THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE AND THE JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZENAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY TIME, TOWN & COUNTRY, KIRKUS, ELECTRIC LITERATURE AND BOOKPAGE!"Stunning…epic…impressive…It is a pleasure to simply live alongside these characters.”—The New York Times"A deep and powerful love story."—NBC The Today Show"A beautifully written novel. I loved so much in this book: the richly imagined setting, the complicated love story, and the heartbreaking way history can tear apart a family." —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello BeautifulSet against a changing Singapore, a sweeping novel about one boy’s unique gifts and the childhood love that will complicate the fate of his community and countryAh Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore in the waning years of British rule. He is a gentle boy who is not much interested in fishing, preferring to spend his days playing with the neighbor girl, Siok Mei. But when he discovers he has the unique ability to locate bountiful, movable islands that no one else can find, he feels a new sense of obligation and possibility—something to offer the community and impress the spirited girl he has come to love.   By the time they are teens, Ah Boon and Siok Mei are caught in the tragic sweep of history: the Japanese army invades, the resistance rises, grief intrudes, and the future of the fishing village is in jeopardy. As the nation hurtles toward rebirth, the two friends, newly empowered, must decide who they want to be, and what they are willing to give up. An aching love story and powerful coming-of-age that reckons with the legacy of British colonialism, the World War II Japanese occupation, and the pursuit of modernity, The Great Reclamation confronts the wounds of progress, the sacrifices of love, and the difficulty of defining home when nature and nation collide, literally shifting the land beneath people’s feet.

WINNER OF THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE AND THE JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZENAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY TIME, TOWN & COUNTRY, KIRKUS, ELECTRIC LITERATURE AND BOOKPAGE!"Stunning…epic…impressive…It is a pleasure to simply live alongside these characters.”—The New York Times"A deep and powerful love story."—NBC The Today Show"A beautifully written novel. I loved so much in this book: the richly imagined setting, the complicated love story, and the heartbreaking way history can tear apart a family." —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello BeautifulSet against a changing Singapore, a sweeping novel about one boy’s unique gifts and the childhood love that will complicate the fate of his community and countryAh Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore in the waning years of British rule. He is a gentle boy who is not much interested in fishing, preferring to spend his days playing with the neighbor girl, Siok Mei. But when he discovers he has the unique ability to locate bountiful, movable islands that no one else can find, he feels a new sense of obligation and possibility—something to offer the community and impress the spirited girl he has come to love.   By the time they are teens, Ah Boon and Siok Mei are caught in the tragic sweep of history: the Japanese army invades, the resistance rises, grief intrudes, and the future of the fishing village is in jeopardy. As the nation hurtles toward rebirth, the two friends, newly empowered, must decide who they want to be, and what they are willing to give up. An aching love story and powerful coming-of-age that reckons with the legacy of British colonialism, the World War II Japanese occupation, and the pursuit of modernity, The Great Reclamation confronts the wounds of progress, the sacrifices of love, and the difficulty of defining home when nature and nation collide, literally shifting the land beneath people’s feet.

'An extraordinary achievement . . . Every page pulses with mud and magic' Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace'A monumental epic . . . I was spellbound' Nathan Harris, author of The Sweetness of Water'Ah Boon's story will stay with me for a long time' Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Kept'Alive to the beauty and mystery of the natural world as well as the human heart' Jessamine Chan, author of The School for Good MothersThey would look back and ask themselves, what was the moment that changed everything? Could she blame him? Could he blame her?Ah Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore, in the waning years of British rule. As he grows up, alongside Siok Mei, the spirited girl he has fallen in love with, he finds himself caught in the tragic sweep of Singapore's history. When the Japanese army invades, the resistance rises, and their small nation hurtles towards rebirth, the two friends must decide who they want to become - and what they are willing to give up.A powerful coming-of-age of both a young boy and a country, The Great Reclamation asks what might happen when the love between two children complicates the fate of an entire community and country, literally shifting the land beneath people's feet.

''An extraordinary achievement . . . Every page pulses with mud and magic'' Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace''A monumental epic . . . I was spellbound'' Nathan Harris, author of The Sweetness of Water''Ah Boon''s story will stay with me for a long time'' Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Kept''Alive to the beauty and mystery of the natural world as well as the human heart'' Jessamine Chan, author of The School for Good Mothers

They would look back and ask themselves, what was the moment that changed everything? Could she blame him? Could he blame her?Ah Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore, in the waning years of British rule. As he grows up, alongside Siok Mei, the spirited girl he has fallen in love with, he finds himself caught in the tragic sweep of Singapore''s history. When the Japanese army invades, the resistance rises, and their small nation hurtles towards rebirth, the two friends must decide who they want to become - and what they are willing to give up.A powerful coming-of-age of both a young boy and a country, The Great Reclamation asks what might happen when the love between two children complicates the fate of an entire community and country, literally shifting the land beneath people''s feet.

Imagine a world where the healthy choice is the only choice.'Original and subversive.' Independent'Life-affirming' Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She SaidLea Kirino is a 'Lifer,' who has the potential to live forever - if she does everything right. She has lived her life by religiously following the state directives that ensure she remains fit and healthy. She knows she wants to live forever, and she is going to green juice, yoga-cise and meditate her way to immortality.Yet, when a brush with death brings her face to face with a mysterious group who believe in everything the state has banned, memories of now-forbidden childhood pleasures resurge alongside ghosts of her past. As Lea's long-held beliefs begin to crack, she is forced to consider: What does it really mean to live?'Addictive' Sun'Fascinating' Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Southern Reach trilogy'An intriguing idea in which Heng takes a much-needed swipe at health fascism and our obsession with youth, beauty and superfoods' Mail on Sunday