Sunbirds by Mirandi Riwoe

 

I picked up this book from the library a few weeks ago on a whim, which was probably a bit silly given that I knew that I was going to struggle to read it before we went away on holidays. However, I started reading the prologue, which is about the bombing of seaplanes in Roebuck Bay near Broome during WWII, and was really moved by it. I even gave it to my husband and said read this. When I went to school I don't recall really being taught that places like Broome and Darwin were bombed during the war. I think most people would know about Darwin now, but I don't think the other bombings would be as well known. We visited Broome a couple of years ago so are familiar with the history and it is one that intrigues me. At low tide you can still walk out to the wrecks of the seaplanes, although they are disintegrating with time.

This was a fascinating story set against the backdrop of agitation for Indonesian independence from the Dutch, with a novelette woven through which is the story of a murdered girl, and all the while the Japanese get closer and closer and so the tension builds and builds. Of course, much like the British in Singapore and Hong Kong, they believe that there is no way that the Japanese will possibly take their country. Some of the Asian characters initially believed that the Japanese will assist with their desire for self rule, although looking back we know that this didn't really happen anywhere.

Our main character is Anna van Hoorn. She is the daughter of a Dutch plantation owner and a desperately unhappy Indo woman named Hermine. Anna's family is wealthy, and maintains many Dutch traditions but Anna is fascinated by many of the local customs. She  grew up with many of the villagers and often slips away to learn out to do the traditional dances and eat the traditional foods. In many ways she doesn't necessarily fit into either culture. She is respected in the Dutch community only because of her father's money and must always be seen to be morally upright, and yet she is not really accepted into the village because of her father's money.

One of her family's guests is Mattijs, a Dutch pilot who is hoping to make a new life in the Dutch East Indies. Anna's father believes that this will be a good match and so the machinations begin. But Anna is also fascinated with Sigit, brother of the van Hoorn's housekeeper Diah. Sigit is a separatist, agitating for self rule. Diah has dreams of her own. Her brother looks down on her because she works looking after the family, but she knows that in doing so she can work towards the future that she wants.

I always appreciate the opportunity to read a WWII story that is just that bit different. There are WWII books out there set in the Asian theatre of war but nowhere near as many as there are set in Europe. I can't think of many set in what is now Indonesia. This is, however, much more than just a WWII story. It is a story about identity and belonging, about the path to self rule and more. 

Riwoe also did a great job portraying the various different lives from food and languages to culture. You could feel the tropical heat rising off the page, smell the spices in the food and hear the birds. It's very evocative. I have only previously read her novella, The Fish Girl, which I reviewed here. I enjoyed this book immensely, so will definitely be tracking down her previous book and looking forward to whatever comes next.

I am sharing this review with Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host . 

Rating 4.5/5