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sometimes_iread 's review for:
Sisters Under the Rising Sun
by Heather Morris
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The other book of Heather Morris’ that I’ve read is the well-known The Tattooist of Auschwitz. If you liked that, chances are, you will love this book as well. Conversely, the quibbles that I had with the former book are repeated here. I guess Morris is consistent in her style.
Sisters Under the Rising Sun follows a group of British, Australian, and Dutch women, some of whom were nurses and nuns, who were imprisoned as prisoners of war (POWs) during the Japanese Occupation of Indonesia. Together, they braved whatever situation they found themselves in and forged indelible bonds in the process.
The Japanese Occupation still is a presence in the Singaporean consciousness, partly due to the narrative trotted out dutifully each year during the National Day parade. Additionally, all four of my grandparents lived through the Occupation and their stories are ones I grew up with. In particular, one of my grandmothers sought refuge in a convent at present day CHIJMES in the initial days after the fall. Reading this account, thus, was a strange experience because the events are familiar, but the experience was not. I guess this was probably representative of the typical experience of whites in Southeast Asia at the time, where the native population and non-white immigrants barely even registered in the white consciousness. It rankled a little, seeing how my history was so easily overlooked. Still, the stories of these incredibly brave POWs deserve to be told too, so I shall put aside my feelings on this matter.
As mentioned earlier, Morris’ writing style isn’t one that I appreciate. I understand that the people in this account are actual real-life people and these events are true, so there needs to be some level of staying true to the person in question. Still, that doesn’t need to mean a book full of declaratives and little to no exploration of the inner man. People’s actions are motivated by their inner worlds, so depriving the reader of that aspect of Nesta or Norah does them such a great disservice, especially since this is a novel, not just a historical account. Where is my emotional rollercoaster? Where is the character growth? Ah Fat, the translator, actually has more growth captured in his scant lines across the book compared to the main characters.
Much as there is a lot of negativity in my thoughts about this book, I still think it should be read, because some things should never be forgotten. Terrible things happened during the Occupation and to disregard them due to differences in taste and heritage would not be wise in my opinion.
Diversity meter:
Strong female characters