The Lost Century

In an ambitious and riveting family saga of Hong Kong that weighs the innocence and optimism of youth against the brutal realities of war and imperialism, racism and misogyny, these pages also probe the complex identity of the colony as travellers from Newfoundland and northern Saskatchewan, Japan and Jamaica pass through. 'How do we remember,' Lai asks,'and why is what we know of the past so full of holes?'" -Paul Yee, author of A Superior Man

The Lost Century is a war story unlike anything you've read. It provides a brilliant window into a history that is far too little-known in the west, and it upends prevailing understandings of colonial power, race and national identity during World War II. It is also a wonderfully warm and generous story that highlights love, humour and camaraderie as modes of intercultural alliance. Larissa Lai's narrative magic shows us how history unfolds through intimate relationships - often in unexpected ways. -Warren Cariou, author of Lake of the Prairies

The Lost Century is a marvel: tender, funny, beautiful, yet so very telling of yet another chapter of nations and their peoples brutalized by the savagery of British colonialism. Ultimately what remains is the stories of precious lives and relationships. With Larissa Lai as its scribe, no century can be entirely lost. -Nalo Hopkinson, author of Brown Girl in the Ring

The Lost Century showcases not only Lai's fair-minded and nuanced understanding of geopolitics, but also her considerable writing chops. -British Columbia Review

In The Lost Century, memory is powerful and even transcendent. -Northwest Review