Novel set AFAICT in 50s #Singapore, in a shanty town peopled with Malays & Indians. All characters have been dealt a terrible hand in life. There is an economic crisis & the country (then part of British Malaya) is picking itself up after WWII & bombings. Salina is a prostitute with a heart of gold & a kept good-for-nothing boyfriend. Heartbreaking & full of humanity
The French translation flows well but wd have benefited from a better proofreader
Dilara picture of “Colorful shophouses in Koon Seng Road, Singapore from Basile Morin, via Wikimedia Commons not particularly apt, but pretty. I gave up on finding a good-quality, public-domain picture of 50s Singapore that would fit the book's context. 3mo
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