I was really excited for this book because I knew it would give me a different perspective of WWII than what I had read before. A Single Swallow follows the journey of three men who all knew the same girl in a different way. Pastor Billy knew her as Stella, Ian knew her as Wende and Liu knew her as Ah Yan. She played a different, yet similar role in each of their lives before, during and after the war. Ah Yan is truly a remarkable woman who goes through a lot of hardship as she lives through the war. I really enjoyed the character development and the way their stories all intertwined. Each man had a purpose in a different part of her life. The whole premise of the book however was a bit odd. All three men had agreed to have their souls return to the Yuehu village every year after they had died. The beginning of the book is told in present day, than it goes back to the beginning. While reading I often found myself confused as to if the narrator was reminiscing about earlier days or telling the story as it was happening. I think the part about their souls returning could have been taken out and the story would have been just as enjoyable, if not better, but also less confusing.