When We Were Orphans

Christopher Banks, an English boy born in the early 1900s in Shanghai, is taken back to England as an orphan when first his father, then his mother disappear under mysterious circumstances. After he grows up to become a renowned detective in England, he returns to Shanghai to solve his parents’ disappearances, just as China’s war with the Japanese is heating up. Written in first person, Christopher’s early reminiscences about his childhood, and especially about his friendship with the Japanese neighbor boy touch on some familiar TCK experiences.  But the experiences of the adult Christopher are surreal and the tone of the book changes as he ventures into a war zone trying to locate his parents, his judgement and perceptions distorted as he loses touch with reality.  Although the mystery is resolved in the end, the experiences of the adult Christopher will not probably strike any chords with anyone who has not experienced a complete break with reality.  Nevertheless, a well-written book by a talented author who personally experienced moving between countries as a child.