Starred review from June 23, 2014
War. Love at first sight. Rivalry. Human nature. Art. Brouwer (Broken Angel) weaves timeless themes into the story of a 70-year journey toward redemption. In 1942, Japanese soldiers invaded Java, an island in what was then the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), taking men from the ruling class to use as slave labor and incarcerating the women and children. A Dutch headmaster’s 12-year-old son, Jeremiah Prins, is left to help his younger siblings and their emotionally troubled mother survive. An extremely intelligent boy, he proves courageous and resourceful, but those qualities are not enough to overcome the wartime despair and devastation. Decades after the war, as secrets from that chapter of his life threaten his family’s current security and happiness, Jeremiah searches for peace, remembering old enemies and old loves. He recounts his life’s story in a series of journals, describing events and people from the war and reflecting on his resultant emotional and spiritual states. Thorough historical research, skillful use of foreshadowing, and keen insight into the human spirit make this one of Brouwer’s best.
September 1, 2014
Ten-year-old Jeremiah Prins, the son of a headmaster in the Dutch East Indies, enjoys hanging out with his friends and getting close to his crush Laura Jensen. But it is the 1940s, and the world is at war. When the Japanese invade the Dutch colony, Jeremiah and his family are sent to a POW camp. Jeremiah escapes and returns to Holland, but wartime complications make his engagement to Laura an impossibility. He flees to California and begins a new life. Decades later and now suffering from Alzheimer's, Jeremiah begins writing a set of journals that recount his experiences fighting, intending to leave them to his adult children as an apology for not sharing his past. But an unexpected online encounter puts him in touch with Laura, and the secrets that they share could still harm those they love. VERDICT Drawing on Brouwer's (Merlin's Immortals; The Last Disciples) parents' experiences during World War II, this detailed novel enables readers to relate to the difficulties faced by those who endured and survived the war. Give this tale about the resiliency of the human heart and its ability to forgive to readers who appreciate World War II dramas and tales of love, loss, and secrets that cannot remain hidden.
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