Maruta: A novel about redemption

by William Andrews

In 1936, Kiyoshi Okada's dream of becoming a medical doctor comes true when he's accepted to one of Japan’s top medical schools. After graduation, he's forced to leave Miyoko, the girl he loves, to conduct medical experiments at Japan's notorious Unit 731 in Manchuria - Japan's equivalent to the Nazi’s Auschwitz. Initially Kiyoshi refuses, but under threat of execution, he finally agrees. When guilt overwhelms him, he can’t continue and the Japanese sentence him to be executed.

Kiyoshi escapes when the Russians invade Manchuria at the end of World War II. He returns to Nagasaki to search for Miyoko and finds her dying from radiation poisoning. When Miyoko dies, Kiyoshi confesses to the Americans, but they want Japan’s research from Unit 731 and say he can’t tell anyone about it. He moves to San Francisco and becomes a doctor in Chinatown, desperately trying to earn redemption for his horrible crimes.

MARUTA is the story of how a civilized nation can get caught up in a nationalistic fervor and force innocent people to do evil things. It’s about redemption and self-forgiveness, even for someone who has committed the vilest of crimes.

MARUTA is from William Andrews, the bestselling author of DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON, THE DRAGON QUEEN and THE SPIRIT OF THE DRAGON.

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2023

About the author

Bill Andrews has a strong connection to Korea – his daughter who arrived from the Land of the Morning Calm as a cheerful, smart, four-month-old. Since then, Bill has been fascinated by Korea.

For over 30 years, Bill was a copywriter and a marketing/brand executive with several Fortune 500 companies. For fifteen years, he ran his own advertising agency. At night and on weekends (and sometimes during the workday!) Bill wrote fiction. Bill’s first novel titled The Essential Truth won first place in the Mayhaven Contest for unpublished fiction. His second novel, The Dirty Truth, was published in winter 2015. As of Ye 2015, Daughters of the Dragon has sold over 50,000 copies and has a 4.8 out of 5.0 star rating from nearly 600 reviewers on Amazon.

Today, Bill is retired from the business world and focuses on his writing. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, an inner-city public school teacher for 32 years. And that smart, cheerful kid is now a medical doctor.

Reviews

[Karen Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read and spellbinding but difficult because of the subject matter. The story of one man’s quest for redemption following the atrocities of war leaves you forever wondering how the outcome could have been different.

[Diane Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written historical fiction. Information regarding WW11 that was new to me. Everyone interested in history knows stories of atrocities committed by Germans in their camps but I never heard about the Japanese camp, Unit 741.
If you want to know more, this book is a must read.