The Great Reclamation
Singapore

The Great Reclamation

by Rachel Heng

Identity & Belonging Historical Fiction Fiction 2023

Summary

Set against the dramatic transformation of twentieth-century Singapore, The Great Reclamation follows Lee Ah Boon, a gentle boy growing up in a coastal fishing village during the final years of British colonial rule. More interested in playing with his childhood companion, Siok Mei, than in fishing, Boon discovers he possesses an extraordinary ability: he can locate mysterious, shifting islands rich with fish that no one else can find. His discovery gives him a newfound purpose within his community and deepens his connection to Siok Mei.

But history soon disrupts their sheltered world. The Japanese occupation during the Second World War, the rise of political resistance, and Singapore’s journey towards independence bring profound changes to the village. As the government pursues ambitious land reclamation projects in the name of progress, Boon and Siok Mei find themselves on opposing sides of an increasingly divided society.

Blending historical fiction, magical realism, and an intimate love story, Heng’s novel explores the costs of modernisation, the legacies of colonialism, and the tension between personal loyalty and collective progress. Through Boon’s journey, the novel asks what it means to call a place home when the land itself—and the society built upon it—is constantly changing.

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Country
Singapore
Asia
About the author
Rachel Heng
Rachel Heng

Rachel Heng is a Singaporean novelist and short-story writer whose fiction explores identity, social change, technology, and the complexities of human relationships. Born and raised in Singapore, she studied Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University before completing an MFA in Fiction and Playwriting at the University of Texas at Austin’s Michener Center for Writers. Heng made her literary debut with Suicide Club (2018), a dystopian novel set in a future New York where longevity and the pursuit of immortality have become obsessions. The book was published internationally and translated into ten languages. Her short fiction has appeared in prestigious literary publications, including The New Yorker, McSweeney’s Quarterly, and Tin House, while her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Esquire. Her second novel, The Great Reclamation (2023), draws on Singapore’s history to tell an expansive story about colonialism, war, national development, and belonging. It won the New American Voices Award and was a finalist for the Singapore Literature Prize. Heng is an assistant professor of English at Wesleyan University and lives in New York with her family.

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Details
Published
2023
Author
Rachel Heng