Description
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng is an international bestseller that tells a profound story of memory, loss, and redemption. Set in Malaya beginning in 1949, it follows Teoh Yun Ling, a retired Supreme Court judge and former prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, who returns to the Cameron Highlands to fulfil a promise to her late sister, Yun Hong, by creating a memorial Japanese garden. There, she becomes the apprentice of the enigmatic gardener Nakamura Aritomo, a former imperial gardener, learning both the delicate artistry of Japanese horticulture and the subtle lessons of trust, loyalty, and human connection.
The novel moves across three timelines: Yun Ling’s wartime internment, her early 1950s apprenticeship, and her later years in the 1980s as she restores Aritomo’s neglected garden. Amid the beauty and precision of the gardens, Yun Ling unravels secrets, confronts grief, and uncovers the mysteries surrounding Aritomo, including a deeply hidden horimono tattoo that may hold a map to a wartime treasure. Richly detailed and lyrically written, Tan Twan Eng blends historical events, cultural insight, and emotional depth, exploring themes of trauma, reconciliation, and the enduring power of memory. This is a sweeping, elegant novel for readers seeking both literary craftsmanship and a compelling historical journey.
