ABOUT
THE BOOK

It is 1969 and Kina is about to celebrate her birthday. The youngest of three girls, she is conscious of the fact that she is neither as pretty nor as clever as her two sisters. Yet her powers of perception and description display a maturity and sensitivity beyond her tender years. Set against the tragedy of 1969, the novel presents an insight into growing up in the seventies when family pride and keeping up appearances were everything in Malaysian society. Ellina binti Abdul Majid began her career as a journalist but has since worked in a variety of jobs: she lives in Kuala Lumpur.