Under the Java Moon

 About the Book: 

Based on a true story, this gripping WWII novel captures the resilience, hope, and courage of a Dutch family who is separated during the war when the Japanese occupy the Dutch East Indies.

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.

My Review: 

World War II involved all corners of the world, including the Dutch ruled island of Java. Under the Java Moon is the story of Rita Vischer and her family who were put in a concentration camp along with thousands of others when Japan invaded. The atrocities Rita witnessed as well as the self sacrifice of family, friends, and strangers made this story one that I am glad was shared. Hope is given when, against all odds, Rita and her family find joy in the midst of difficulty and pain.

My favorite quote: “Each night as the moon rises, look up at it, and I’ll do the same.Thinking of you and the children. Under the Java Moon.” George Vischer

I highly recommend this book and was glad to have been given a complimentary copy of the book. A positive review was not expected. All opinions are my own.