Book Review: Under the Java Moon

It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel based on a true story and I finally read Under the Java Moon by Heather B. Moore which I was embarrassingly sent last year! I did post a spotlight on the book last fall, but now that I’ve finally read it I can share my review.

The novel follows the Vischer family during World War II. They are a Dutch family living in Java – an Indonesian island. Patriarch, George Vischer, is part of the Dutch Navy and he lives in Java with his wife Mary, his mother-in-law, his six-year-old daughter Rita, and toddler Georgie. We follow along as the family readies themselves for war as Japan inches closer and then when George is sent away the rest of the family and their neighbors must survive the Tijdeng Women’s Camp. George is also trying to survive after his minesweeper is bombed by the Japanese. The novel takes place over the course of few years as they try to survive and find their way back to one another.

The novel was really interesting and I really had no knowledge about what was going on in Indonesia or to the Dutch living there during World War II. The fact that the Vischer family was a real family added to how captivated I was with the story, although it did add an extra layer of anxiety because I was so worried what would happen to everyone in the family and their friends.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and learning a little about this aspect of the war.

*This book was sent to my in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.*