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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
WWII violence and Japanese occupation; some domestic violence
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Adult content including child marriage; treated with appropriate gravity
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Trauma across generations; the psychological cost of survival and what is passed down
What this book is about
Lakshmi is sent at fourteen from Ceylon to Malaysia as a bride, and the novel traces her life and those of her children across WWII and the decades that follow. Manicka's multigenerational saga is sweeping, intense, and rooted in the specificity of Southeast Asian experience — a family epic of survival, sacrifice, and cultural change.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child marriage themes
WWII violence and occupation
Multigenerational trauma
Reader Verification
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