Something made me look from the amahs to the frangipani tree in the corner.
And there she was – Ying. I shivered. Was my fever making me imagine things?
I needed to tell Ma and Papa right away, but at this very moment, they were at
Bukit Brown Cemetery, tending to Ying’s funeral.

Ten-year-old Bee grows up sheltered and privileged in 1940s Singapore, jealous of her beautiful, perfect elder sister, Ying. When the Japanese attack Singapore, Ying is killed in an air raid at school and the family endure wartime hardship and the horrors of occupation.

But to Bee’s surprise, her sister’s love and care for her survives in an unexpected way and Bee grows to cherish the bonds that hold fast even in the face of devastating loss.

Written with humour and unflinching clarity through the eyes of a child, this coming-of-age novel is an intimate family portrait of sisterhood, emotional resilience and the people we choose to call kin.
Mabel Gan is a writer, director, and producer whose work explores the stories of young people. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and the Recording Arts from Florida State University, where her thesis film, Child Bride, was a finalist in the Student Academy Awards. Her work has been broadcast on MediaCorp, the Disney Channel, and MTV Asia as well as screened in film festivals around the world.

Authors

The Ghost Who Pinched Me