In 1951, Yun Ling Teoh makes her way to the Cameron Highlands of Malaya. Scarred and traumatized by her experiences during the war in a Japanese concentration camp, she needs time to heal and find a way to live again.  As the lone survivor of the camp where she and her sister and numerous ethnically Chinese and Malayans were held, she survived in part by embracing her sister’s dream of creating a traditional Japanese garden. Their whispered plans and dreams were a way to escape the terror and torture of their daily lives and they promised each other that if they survived they would build this garden of their dreams. Now she plans to honor that promise by seeking out a former gardener to the Emperor, a man named Aritomo, who is creating a traditional Japanese garden on his property in the highlands.  Although she feels tremendous dissonance in having to work with a Japanese after what she endured, her promise to her sister propels her forward and after some initial reluctance, Aritomo agrees to take her on as an apprentice “until the monsoons come.”

The inexplicable fact that she is the lone survivor of the camp and that she has never been able to find where it was located or find her sister’s remains continues to haunt Yun Ling, but she is not the only one with secrets. Aritomo’s arrival in Malaysia, is clouded in mystery as well as his activities during the war. What secrets does he hold?  As the communist guerrilla war engulfs Malaysia, Yun Ling must learn to make peace with her past and learn to navigate a future that is less than certain.

Eng writes with such care and tenderness, it feels as if you are in the hands of a master gardener. He develops the storyline and plot as if placing large rocks to anchor the garden and then plants these richly developed characters like trees, shifting and changing with the seasons. Using the history and culture of Malaysia and Japan to add depth and understanding he creates a whole that like a garden, informs and touches the reader deeply. There is much to learn and love in this garden of evening mists.

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Ken, Keith, Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.