Published October 24, 2023

Based on the true stories of the survivors of the sinking of the HMS Vyner Brooke in February 1942. 

Summary

In February 1942, Singapore is about to fall to the Japanese when sisters Norah and Ena board the HMS Vyner Brooke. Norah’s husband, John, has been released from the hospital so that he may flee with his wife, but is still sick with typhus. As the three are boarding the ship, they are greeted by an Australian nurse, Sister Nesta, who assists in getting John  into the launch boat. 

Sister Nesta is traveling with a larger group of nurses from Australia who have been ordered to evacuate. When the boat on which they are traveling is sunk, the survivors make their way to an island where they are captured and imprisoned in brutal conditions for the remainder of the war. 

My Thoughts

I found this book compelling. The content was often difficult, but I wanted to know what happened to this group of women.

The story was exceptionally well-researched. Heather Morris even went so far as to interview the family members of Sister Nesta, Norah, and Ena. The photos of the survivors at the end of the book, along with the names of those who did not survive, are poignant. 

The book is written in the present tense with some flashbacks. The present tense gives a sense of urgency, but also intimacy to the story. These were no longer women who lived in the past, but real women I began to care for. 

At times the pacing of the story slowed. My thought is that the slowing of the pacing was meant to emphasize how time must have dragged on for this group of women who were entirely isolated from what was happening in the outside world.

Similarly, it was occasionally frustrating to me when situations weren’t explained. The women moved camp several times and the reader was never told why, but the women were never told why. So I believe the frustration I felt was meant to mirror that of the women which was a clever technique.

World War 2 in the Pacific region is a topic about which I have done a lot of research. As a result, I do tend to avoid fiction about the subject because I know that it has the potential to be brutal and heart-breaking. Yet, I’m glad I read this book for several reasons. First, these were amazing women and their courage deserves to be discussed and remembered. Second, this wasn’t just a book about violence and suffering, it was about community and finding beauty and fighting for survival. 

Trigger/Content Warnings

Since this is a book about war, there are numerous potential triggers. However, most violence occurs “off-screen” or is not described graphically.  Sexual Violence, Starvation, Familial Separation, Colonialism, Foreign Occupation are other potential triggers.

After Finishing the Book

Without risking spoilers, I would encourage readers to google Banka Island or Vivian Bullwinkel when you are finished to see what was left out of this book. 

Further Book Recommendations

Because the focus of this book is on the women in this prison camp, it doesn’t address the immense suffering of the citizens of the countries that were occupied by the Japanese.  I have a list of some books that do that below.

I can’t give specific trigger warnings for any of these, but assume, given the time and place, that there are likely to be potential triggers:

If you are interested in historical fiction:

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng is set in Malaysia during and after the war, and it is both beautiful and horrifying. (Sexual violence, violence)

The Piano Teacher by Janice YK Lee is set in Hong Kong during the 1940s and 50s. This book had a slow start, but when it picked up, it was very good. 

If you enjoy non-fiction that almost reads as fiction:

The Indomitable Florence Finch by Robert Mrazek tells the story of an amazing Filipina who risked her life to help American POWs in the Philippines during the war. In addition to details about Florence Finch, it also goes into detail about the Bataan Death March and the conditions faced by the people of the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. (Sexual violence, violence)

If you like mysteries:

Ovidia Yu’s Crown Colony Mysteries are set in Singapore from 1936 through World War II. Su Lin is a young woman who takes a job as a cook for the head of the police department to get out of her family home and ends up solving crimes. (Book 6 has some graphic injuries)

Challenges

Heather Morris was born and raised in New Zealand, and one of the characters in the book is from New Zealand and the source of a heated debate among the prisoners about the origins  of Pavlova. So I’ve chosen this book to represent New Zealand in my Around the Globe in 193 Books Personal Challenge.

About the Author

Heather Morris was born and raised in New Zealand. She currently lives in Australia where she writes novels and screenplays. Learn more about her and her work on her website