The year is 1799, the place Dejima, a man-made island that is the Japanese Empire's single port and sole window to the world. To this place comes Jacob de Zoet, a young, devout and ambitious clerk who must spend five years in the East to earn enough money to deserve the hand of his wealthy fiance. This panoramic novel brings to vivid life the tottering of the Dutch maritime empire, the seizing-up of the Shogun's dynasty, the encroachment of British ambitions, and the people caught up a tectonic shift between East and West. This is an unforgettable book that will be read for years to come.
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