I almost hesitate to call this a book about Burma, because much of the action takes place outside of Burma, in India and Malaysia. However, that might actually be symbolic of how Burmese history is intertwined with the histories of many SE Asian countries that were under imperial rule--the last Burmese kind and queen were exiled to India, and the characters of this book begin their saga in Burma, but move with the royalty and then go their separate ways and spawn new characters. Warm industry, family, and passions draw them all over--to a rubber plantation on the slope of a mountain overlooking Penang and the Andaman Sea, the west coast of India, and Rangoon.
This saga is set against the background of the end of Burma's history as a monarchy, development as a British colony, WWII battleground, and finally a "free" country. Mandalay, Rangoon, and Yangon all make appearances as places the characters live as they plant rubber, harvest and sell teak, and fight the Japanese invaders. An interesting part of this book is its description of the teak industry, which results in deforestation and erosion of the Burmese mountains (not to mention the deaths of countless Burmese and Indian workers) for that shiny wood now seen as the style of fancy SE Asian furniture.
I ate takeout Burmese a few days before I started this book; it was good, but not as good as Thai food. I think I need to try it again in the restaurant and give it a good chance. Tea leaf salad and duck are what I remember.
Moral of the story: need to get back to SE Asia to travel and see and most importantly, eat.
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