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

Book Description:

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.

Rorie's Review:

When you read books about WWII, they typically focus on American, British, Japanese, and German people. This is the first time I've read a book about someone's experience in other countries. Having recently read "Unbroken," I expected to read about the brutality of the internment camps, and while it was indeed horrific, there seemed to be a bit more decency from some of the guards in Tjideng. 

Being an adult in an internment camp would have been horrible enough, but I can't even imagine being a child in a horrible place like that. Children are naturally curious, exuberant, and trusting. It's difficult to imagine the lifelong trials that child have come from living your formative years like that. 

At the same time, I was impressed by the resilience and determination that Mary and her children possessed. They took one day at a time, and constantly adapted as best as they could, in order to survive. 

If you are fascinated by history, this is a story you need to read.

Andrea’s Review:

This book was very eye opening. I was not familiar with the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies. What a horrific experience for the Dutch prisoners. I was grateful it didn’t seem to be as brutal as some other experiences I’ve read about, but being told from a child’s perspective may have made it seem more tame. It was noted the parents often took punishments for things the children did. 

This wasn’t a fast read for me, but I’m very grateful that Marie Vischer Elliott allowed her heartbreaking story to be told. It’s important to learn about the past to prevent these awful things from happening again.

Title: Under the Java Moon
Author: Heather B. Moore
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: September 2023 
ISBN: 1639931538
Source: We received review copies from the publisher. All opinions expressed are our own. 

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