Title: When Sleeping Women Wake
Author: Emma Pei Yin
Pages: 458
Publisher: Quercus
Release Date: 17th June 2025
Blurb from Goodreads:
Hong Kong, 1941. Following the Japanese occupation of Shanghai,
the wealthy Tang family flee to Hong Kong.
As the
First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a sheltered - if lonely -
existence overseeing her daughter Qiang and managing the household
alongside her devoted maid, Biyu.
But when the Japanese
army invade, the three women are scattered. Mingzhu is coerced into
working for a Japanese captain. Qiang and Biyu escape the island,
only to be forced into factory work then separated after an encounter
with the East River Column Resistance fighters.
The longer
the brutal occupation lasts, the more determined the women are to
resist. And as war rages around the world, each is holding onto the
hope that the other is alive.
Beautifully told and
compulsively written, When Sleeping Women Wake
is an utterly transporting story of female resistance and untold
bravery, at once epic and intimate, heartbreaking and hopeful.
Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop
My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for a review. My thanks to Quercus and NetGalley*
The Tang family relocated to Hong Kong from Shanghai to escape the Japanese invasion, but then there are whispers that Hong Kong may be next, and the lives of the family change forever.
Mingzhu, the First Wife of the family, finds herself working for the enemy, her knowledge of several languages saving her from death.
Mingzhu's daughter, Qiang, and long-time servant and friend, Biyu, are forced to work in a factory for the Japanese occupiers.
As the women live through the dangers of the occupation, they find their own ways to resist.
Not knowing anything about the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during the second World War, I was interested to see what what this novel would be like.
The book mainly follows Mingzhu and Qiang, and I found them to both to be likeable and relatable protagonists. They both experienced horrible events and I liked how much they wanted to help other people.
The setting of Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation was interesting, and something I hadn't read about before.
The plot was good overall, but the pacing was a bit all over the place, and I thought some things were rushed over. While I did like the characters, I was never immersed in the story, and always felt removed from what was happening. The writing style didn't always flow smoothly and was a little stilted at times.
Overall, this was a mixed read.
