About the Book

To be born female is curse enough. To be born female with an unlucky teardrop mole is surely a mark of the gods’ displeasure…

Set in Malaya in the turbulent 1950s this powerful story explores love’s eternal quest against a dramatic landscape torn apart by terrorist grenades. Beautiful and spirited, Mei Kwei overcomes the misfortunes of her birth and runs from the men she cannot love into the arms of the man she must not love: the Catholic priest Father Francois Martin, a missionary sent to Luping, a small town in Malaya. In the face of Mei Kwei’s passion, Father Martin’s commitment to his vocation cracks, revealing the man beneath the demands of the flesh and spirit come into fearful collision.

About the Author

Frequently referred to as the doyenne of Singapore’s literary circles, Catherine Lim is internationally recognised as one of the leading figures in the world of Asian fiction. The prolific Lim has penned more than 19 books across various genres — short stories, novels, reflective prose, poems and satirical pieces.

Lim has won several national and regional book prizes for her literary contributions and was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Literature by Murdoch University, Australia and a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture and Information. Many of Lim’s works are studied in local and foreign schools and universities and have been published in various languages in several countries. One of her novels, A Leap of Love has also been made into a movie. Besides writing, Lim guest lectures at local and international seminars, conferences, arts/writing festivals and cruise ships worldwide. She has also appeared on radio and television programmes in Singapore, Europe and Australia.

Other titles by Catherine Lim: