Under the Java Moon by Heather B. Moore

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Book Review of Under the Java Moon by Heather B. Moore

I have read many fiction and nonfiction books about WWII. I’ve read books about people in many different countries during the war, books about people left at home during the war, books about prisoners of war, and many more. It’s one of the topics I’m drawn to. However, I’ve never heard about WWII from the angle Heather B. Moore writes about in Under the Java Moon. This book tells the story of the Dutch people living in the Dutch East Indies when Holland declared war on Japan and the Japanese army invaded their territory.

Blurb:

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 Book Review:

Reading about war is never fun. I don’t enjoy watching or feeling people suffer. It’s not entertaining in a way that a Jane Austen novel would be, but it is so important. For those of us (thankfully) not living in a war zone right now, it’s important for us to see the impacts of war and feel the pain of those who are. It’s crucial for us to know the past so we do not repeat it, so we learn from the successes and failures of those involved, and learn the lessons needed to prevent war in the future.

However, as I previously stated, I’m drawn to WWII books. I love learning about the people and the places, and I love seeing the resilience, strength, and hope of those involved. Under the Java Moon opened my eyes to another part of the world affected by WWII. I never knew that Holland declaring war on Japan affected its people in the Dutch East Indies. I had honestly never even thought about it.

Although much of this book is tragic and sad, there is hope and strength in the Dutch people. Heather B. Moore did a wonderful job telling the story, submersing the reader in the experience of a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The book is well written, and although the story is complex, the reader travels seamlessly between places and people.

The characters in Under the Java Moon bring the story to life and allow the reader to feel a part of the story. They are real, authentic, and each has a unique voice. The characters are well developed and bring so much emotion to the story. They make an unrelatable story much more relatable. I cannot imagine going through the things they went through.

You can tell that Moore did her research and knows the content well. She had the opportunity to meet Marie (Rita) Vischer Elliott (the main character in the story) and hear her story and memories directly from her. What an amazing opportunity! Moore did a wonderful job bringing the story to life and allowing us all a glimpse of life on Java Island during WWII.