UNDER THE JAVA MOON: A NOVEL OF WORLD WAR II, by Heather B Moore, Shadow Mountain, Sept. 5, 2023, Hardcover, $26.99 (young adult/ new adult/ adult fiction)
Heather B. Moore’s Under the Java Moon explores the experiences of a family separated during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies during WWII.
Java Island, 1941
Six-year-old Rita Vischer cowers in her family’s dug-out bomb shelter, listening to the sirens and waiting for a bomb to fall. Her charmed life on Java―living with other Dutch families―had always been peaceful, but when Holland declares war on Japan and the Japanese army invades Indonesia, Rita’s family is forced to relocate to a POW camp, and Rita must help care for her little brother, Georgie.
Mary Vischer is three months pregnant when she enters the Tjident women’s camp with thousands of other women and children. Her husband, George, is somewhere on the Java Sea with the Dutch Navy, so she must care alone for her young children, Rita and Georgie, and her frail mother. The brutal conditions of the overcrowded camp make starvation, malaria, and dysentery a grim reality. Mary must do everything she can to keep her family alive.
George Vischer survives the bombing of his minesweeper but feels little hope floating on a small dinghy in the Java Sea. Reaching the northern tip of the Thousand Island would be a miracle. Focusing on the love of his life, Mary, and his two children, he battles against the sea and merciless sun. He’ll do whatever it takes to close the divide between him and his family, even if it means risking being captured by the Japanese.
Under the Java Moon highlights a little-known part of WWII history and the impact of war on Indonesia, its people, and the more than 100,000 Dutch men, women, and children who were funneled into prison camps and faced with the ultimate fight for survival. —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain
If you’ve ever read any of Heather B. Moore’s books (Shadow of a Queen, Paper Daughters of Chinatown), then you know how well she brings historical characters to life.
Under the Java Moon is no different.
Based on the true story of the Vischer family, Under the Java Moon is heartbreaking, heartwarming and captivating. Though fictionalized, the book is based on Moore’s interviews with Marie Vischer Elliot, notable research and recorded stories of survival. Moore includes chapter notes and a selected biography, which provide additional details.
Under the Java Moon is told from three perspectives.
Rita is only 6 when her life gets turned upside down. She starts out as a confused child, but quickly learns her place in this new world. As is often the case, she grows up way too fast. Her resiliency amongst the cruelties of internment is moving.
Mary is newly pregnant with two young children and an aging mother to watch over. Her love for them and George is what keeps her moving forward.
George feels helpless. There’s nothing he can do for his family except for survive. So that’s what he does.
This story of a lesser-known area of WWII history is so compelling you won’t want to put it down. The use of three perspectives provides depth and strong entry points for a number of audiences.
In Under the Java Moon, Moore has crafted a novel that resonates. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.
*Though not written specifically for a young adult audience, Under the Java Moon is appropriate for older teens. It does feature some violence (beatings, death, acts of war), but none of it is gratuitous.
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