RUN, MY DAUGHTERS, RUN by Lee Su Kim

A Nyonya daughter’s fight to survive the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Set against the harrowing backdrop of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Run, My Daughters, Run follows the Lee family, a Straits Chinese household in Kuala Lumpur, as they struggle to survive a brutal and bewildering new reality. At the heart of the story is Pei Lin, a bright, bookish 17-year-old, whose aspirations for education and independence are upended by war, hunger and fear.

Told in rich, evocative prose, the novel alternates between Pei Lin’s perspective and that of her mother, Kim Neo, a strong-willed Nyonya matriarch haunted by a painful secret. As the family navigates raids, curfews, betrayal and starvation, they must also confront the disintegration of colonial certainties and the fragility of family bonds under occupation.

A powerful tale of endurance, womanhood and the unbreakable spirit of a family caught in the crosswinds of history.

About the author

Lee Su Kim is a Malaysian author, educator and cultural activist. A sixth-generation Nyonya from Kuala Lumpur, she is the author of a trilogy of short stories on the Peranakan Babas and Nyonyas: Kebaya Tales: Of Matriarchs, Maidens, Mistresses and Matchmakers; Sarong Secrets: Of Love, Loss and Longing; and Manek Mischiefs: Of Patriarchs, Playboys and Paramours.

Praise
‘A gem of a novel, a story of everyday life in the most extraordinary circumstances. Yet it is the story of every Malaysian family during the Japanese Occupation. This is really important material for modern Malaysians to read; it is as much a historic record of this crucial moment in the history of Malaya as it is a novel.’ Rose Gan, author of Penang Chronicles

‘Lee Su Kim has cleverly woven details of Peranakan food, customs and beliefs surrounding childbirth, interspersed with Chinese and Penang Baba patois, amid a backdrop of constant hunger and the capricious brutality of the Japanese occupiers.’ Datin Paduka Tan Siok Choo, Patron, Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association of Malaysia

‘A compelling and moving account of the struggle for survival of a Peranakan family in KL during the Japanese Occupation. With six children, four of them teenage girls, to feed and protect from the rapacious occupiers, and somehow to keep hope alive in these darkest days, the burden falls heaviest on the mother. And all this against the backdrop of Peranakan culture with its sense of decorum and fine clothes – and its love affair with food! A welcome reminder of the power of family to survive the hardest of times.’ Alan Maley OBE, retired Professor of English, author of over 60 books, coordinator of ‘Worlds into Words’ international creative writing group

‘Su Kim’s gripping tale of resilience, resistance and hardship – told with stark immediacy combined with deft touches of humour – captures for the contemporary reader the fragility of life and a family’s deep traumas during the Japanese occupation of British Malaya. Surviving cruel power demands wit, courage, love – and luck.’ Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director of Penang Institute, historian, author and political analyst

‘A real gem of a novel, Run, My Daughters, Run offers readers a moving glimpse into a different world and era, intimate, painful, and profoundly human. What begins with gentle nostalgia gradually unfolds into a haunting portrait of survival, fear, memory and humanity during impossible times. Yet amidst the darkness, moments of love, longing and forbidden friendship continue to remind us how life stubbornly carries on, even in the shadow of devastation.’ Ninot Aziz, author and poet, Lunar Codex, Founder of Hikayat Fandom and the Hikayat Storyteller Guild

‘An established and respected author, Lee Su Kim has written this book in her easy-to-read style about the survival ordeal faced by a Peranakan Chinese family living in Malaya during the traumatic and terrifying period of occupation by the Japanese during WWII. A thought-provoking work that I highly recommend to readers.’ Dato’ Jeremy D. C. Diamond, author of An Exceptional Life and A History of Socfin

‘Giving voice to muted histories, the pages reverberate with a Peranakan family’s poignant struggle through war, and their reckonings with identity, love, sacrifice and secrets’ Peter Lee, independent Peranakan scholar

‘An enthralling read about a troubled era in Malaya’s history. Lee Su Kim’s debut novel provides a detailed insight into the disturbing Japanese occupation of Malaya during the Second World War. It begins with an extended Baba-Nyonya family leading a contented life, then continues with their struggle to survive under the harsh control of their oppressors. Lee’s detailed description of Nyonya nuances, customs and traditions provides a fascinating insight, and even a suggestion that this is what helps keep the family together while providing hope for the future.’ David Bowden, author of Enchanting Malaysia

‘Su Kim’s new book is simply unputdownable. The plot is gripping and the prose has a wonderfully earthy quality to it and literally glitters!’ Ngiam May Ling, founder of the Baba-Nyonya Literary Festival (Singapore)

Paperback 9781915310583
Ebook 9781915310590
Extent 368pp
Category Historical Fiction