Under the Java Moon Book Review

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.

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 Tjideng 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-in-law. 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 Islands would be a miracle. Focusing on of 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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than ninety publications. Heather writes primarily historical and #herstory fiction about the humanity and heroism of the everyday person. Publishing in a breadth of genres, Heather dives into the hearts and souls of her characters, meshing her love of research with her love of storytelling.

Her ancient era historicals and thrillers are written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes historical women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore, and . . . speculative fiction under Jane Redd. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. Despite failing her high school AP English exam, Heather persevered and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in something other than English.

REVIEW  

Under the Java Moon follows a Dutch family living under Japanese occupied Java during World War II. This gripping historical-fiction book is based on a true story that often isn't shared about World War II. Readers will find the story compelling from discovering the horrors of war and families being separated to learning about the impact of colonialism on Java. Moore does a good job at describing what life was like for the family from sharing about their living conditions, food scarcity, and dealing with oftentimes cruel treatment. She also shares the story from different perspectives including a child, mother, and father. She does suggest that there may have been more terrible things or at least hints to it, but she doesn't necessarily share all of gruesome details. As a reader, I had mixed feelings about the hints and not sharing everything that had happened. Because Moore didn't share everything, it does make the book more appropriate for teen readers. It was a hard book to read at times due to learning about all the horrors these people lived through, but I think it was an important one to read. It shared a part of history that's not often talked about, and I think an understanding of history could help us learn to have more empathy and being willing to stand up for each other. The characters and the event stood out in the book, and it was really interesting to read about this time period. I liked that the author made a special note in the back and a note from Marie Elliott, who this book is based on. The author made a positive note at the end, and overall, I thought it was a good read. It spurred me on to google some more aspects about Java and the occupation. It would be an interesting book to talk about in a book club or classroom discussion. To learn more about this book, click here.

Please note that I received a copy of this book for free, however, this is my honest opinion. This post also contains affiliate links that help support this blog.