In A Bit of Earth , Suchen Christine Lim deftly weaves historical fact and a fiery imagination in a visually powerful multicultural story that spans three generations and four decades—proving once again that she is one of Asia’s leading fiction writers. Malaya. A land of unparalleled richness. For centuries, the peninsula has attracted fortune hunters, money-grabbing pirates and migrants seeking a better life. Among those whose lives are rooted in the Malayan soil are three families: the Wongs, sons of the Chinese earth; the Wees, subjects of the English gods; and the Mahmuds, scions of the Malayan soil; each with different dreams for the bit of earth they live on. Their destinies meet and this clash of hopes inevitably leads to tragedy. “ A Bit of Earth chronicles the visceral and cultural struggle of a young Chinese immigrant to survive in an equally struggling Malayan nation… The immigrant earns his bit of earth only by continuously re-inventing himself and by negotiation with the forces of history.” — Lily Rose Tope, Professor, Department of English & Comparative Literature, University of the Philippines