By Mandakini Arora
The Light Between Us is an inventive novel that drew me in as I had to find out what could possibly come of love between a young woman in contemporary Singapore and a young man from Singapore in the 1920s.
I read the book after listening to Elaine Chiew talk about its provenance. She was inspired to write it after studying thousands of archival photographs from pre-World War 2 colonial Singapore. Her historical research and photographic knowledge come through in the best possible way — organically and lightly — in this story of love, photography, history, war, and family dynamics.
In 2019, Charlene (Charlie) Sze-Toh is working in a photographic archive in Singapore. She grew up in London as the only child of her mother, who moved when her husband left her for Cassandra. He then left Cassandra for Peony, who already had a son, Sebastian. Both of Charlie’s parents and Peony are now dead. Cassandra lives in Singapore. Charlie and Sebastian share a warm relationship, connected partly by their not-easy relationship with Cassandra and by obligatory get-togethers at her mansion.
One day a digital copy of a letter to someone else flashes on Charlie’s computer screen. Written in 1920 by Wang Tian Wei, a photographer, it is a plea to the colonial authorities to help locate a young Japanese woman who has disappeared. On receiving another such letter, Charlie responds, using a glass negative. And so, a communication begins between two people distant in time.
The book moves between Charlie’s life in Singapore in the early 2020s and Tian Wei’s life in Singapore in the 1920s until the start of the Japanese Occupation in 1942, punctuated by their communication. Love blossoms. Tian Wei’s language is endearingly quaint, apt for his time: “I wish to say, I cherish you” and “Is this what enchantment is?” Besides their asynchronous relationship, there are independent goings-on in each time period. Originally a poor immigrant from Shanghai, Tian Wei builds a successful career as a professional photographer. He is impacted by diasporic Chinese politics and the growing Japanese threat. Charlie uncovers a skeleton in her family closet and gets embroiled in drama with Cassandra and with Sebastian.
In The Light Between Us, Chiew tells a good story, fluidly and elegantly. I enjoyed reading about contemporary Singapore and, equally, her evocations of colonial Singapore. Was there anything to not like? Some bits of the story were hurried. Tian Wei and Charlie rather abruptly developed feelings for each other. The tying together of threads at the end was rushed. Yet, overall, I thought the book a delight. It pulled me in and kept me engaged throughout.
 | Mandakini Arora co-chairs the Writers’ Group of the American Women’s Association, Singapore, and reviews books for their online magazine. As travelling_bookmark, she shares book news on Instagram. With a PhD in History from Duke University and an MA in Creative Writing from LASALLE College of the Arts, she is a collector and writer of women’s stories. She welcomes comments on the books she reviews:mandakinni@gmail.com |
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