The Garden of Evening Mists

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

This book was beautifully written.  It is the kind of prose that feels poetic because it is so descriptive.

Set in Malay before World War II and Malaysia after the War, this book weaves a story of many lives that overlap and intertwine.

Enemies become allies thanks to the beauty and magic of the Garden up in the mountains of Malaysia.  Through the work of the Garden, the philosophy of the enemy is understood.  Later, reconnecting with the garden, secrets are discovered and revealed.

The weaving of the story, unravels the threads of the many lives that were enmeshed both knowingly and not.

I highly recommend this book.