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By Tash Aw Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 288 pages, $28 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

This tender moment comes midway through Tash Aw’s new novel, “The South,” which follows Jay Lim, a 16-year-old high school student, over the holiday break he spends on a parcel of land his mother inherited from her father in-law.

Aw allows much to remain unknown, uncertain, or unsaid in “The South,” and he does so beautifully, allowing readers to find the nuance within the very specific scenes.

“The South” is a strong opening for Aw’s projected quartet, a quiet yet expansive novel, and it’s with great anticipation that I discovered that he is already hard at work on the second installment.

The deal for 12 three-engine AW-101 helicopters was signed in February 2010 after AgustaWestland beat off competition from US and Russian rivals.