When We Were Orphans
I finished this book "When We Were Orphans" recently and I really quiet enjoyed it. It took me a bit to get really caught up in the story as it's not a linear narrative and jumps between different times of the protagonist's life. It's about a guy who lost his parents when he was around ten years old and in his adult life he tries to find them again (very basic overview of the story). Quiet important to the story is probably that it is set during the early twentieth century in England and Shanghai (he lived in Shanghai with his parents but is actually english, so he has to go to England when his parents go missing).
So in the novel the tensions in Europe and the world are being addressed. I found it especially interesting to learn about the tensions between China and Japan which are mostly left out in our studies of the second world war. I, for example, did not know that the Pacific War started already in 1937 with the battle in Shanghai (quiet a big part of the novel is set during that time). So in Europe we often forget or push aside the fact that there were also other problems during that time!
I have mostly one main part which I did not enjoy as much in this book and that is: I found the protagonist at times a bit unlikeable. He acted quiet entitled (i.e. is of the opinion the search for is parents trump the safety of people during a street war) .
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, especially as it shines a light on a conflict which I always thought I knew quiet a bit about (in German schools the second world war is really thoroughly addressed).
