Magic realism, land reclamation, a story of nation-building. It's hard to think how the elements can come together to make a story, but Rachel Heng's epic narrative blends everything into a gripping tale. In a small fishing village in the 1940s, Ah Boon follows his father to sea for the first time. He's not cut out for fishing but he braves the sea in hope to gain recognition from his father. That day, they chance upon a mysterious island that his father and elder brother, despite being …