To Sing of War

by Catherine McKinnon

From the author of the Miles Franklin Award shortlisted Storyland, comes a rich, layered and thrilling novel of love, war and friendship, To Sing of War. December 1944: In New Guinea, a young Australian nurse, Lotte Wyld, chances upon her first love, Virgil Nicholson, there to fight the Japanese and keen to prove his worth as a man. Against the backdrop of a hard-fought jungle campaign, the two negotiate their troubled past. Meanwhile, in Los Alamos, young physicists Miriam Carver and Fred Johnson join Robert Oppenheimer and a team of brilliant scientists in a collective dream to build a weapon that will stop all war, with Oppenheimer also juggling the competing demands of the American military and his clever wife, Kitty. Far away, on the sacred island of Miyajima, Hiroko Narushima helps her husband's grandmother run a ryokan, however, when one of her daughters encounters danger, Hiroko must act to ensure her family's safety.

Each of these people yearns to belong, yet each fiercely protects their independence. Secrets, misunderstandings and fears burden them, shame shapes them, hope and imagination lift them up. They are caught in a moment of history, both enthralled and appalled by actions they must undertake. The novel asks what we can learn from this time, when a weapon of mass destruction changed the nature of war and made irreversible changes to our planet. How does fear shape our behaviour, affect our moral being? What is unforgiveable, in love and war, and what must be forgiven? How can one person make a difference in a world that is wondrous, thrilling and endangered?

From Miles Franklin-shortlisted author, Catherine McKinnon, comes a beautiful, rich and intricately woven novel of conflict, death, sacrifice and forgiveness, a novel that insists on our interconnectedness and hums with the energy of the world, a blazingly powerful and deeply moving account of friendship, love and war.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, War, Book Club, Australia

454 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Catherine McKinnon is a novelist, playwright, and director. She studied at Flinders University Drama Centre and then became a founding member of the Red Shed Theatre Company. Over a nine-year period she worked for the Shed as a writer, director,
dramaturg, and co-artistic coordinator. She directed, and with company members and writers, helped develop, many new Australian plays.
During this time she also freelanced to the State Theatre Company of SA. After leaving Adelaide she completed a Masters in
Creative Writing at UTS Sydney, and worked for April Films, on a documentary about the making of Jindabyne, before undertaking a PhD at Flinders University, which included a
creative project, (a novel), and an exegesis. In 2006 she won the Penguin Women’s Weekly
Award for her short story Haley and the Sea. In 2008 Penguin Viking published her novel,
The Nearly Happy Family.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 3 interwoven stories playing out across Papua New Guinea, Japan and New Mexico, this is a tale of WW2 with a difference. I really enjoyed it and now I'm keen to delve into Storyland, which has been languishing on my TBR for far too long. Annabelle Tudor's narration of the audiobook was faultless.

It's the end of 1944 and in PNG former childhood sweethearts Lotte and Virgil become reacquainted during a chance meeting while the Aitape Hospital is being set up. Both have been stationed in the country for only a short time and they haven't seen each other for many years. Their reunion is awkward due to the misunderstandings surrounding the end of their earlier relationship, but Virgil desperately wants Lotte to understand his side of the story, so when his company departs for the mountains, he pours his heart out in the letter he should have written to her all those years ago.

Meanwhile in Japan, Hiroko is doing her best to look after her extended family since her husband Kenzo was sent to war. Food is scarce and she has to feed not only her family but also the western military guests of her ryokan, so bartering and tending to her kitchen garden have become a huge focus of her daily life. Fortunately she doesn't need to spend time accompanying her eldest daughter on the long and convoluted commute to school in Hiroshima each day, as there are a couple of other children who also make the journey. Hiroko writes to Kenzo regularly, but rarely receives a reply, so she's not entirely sure where he is, but has faith that he is still alive.

In New Mexico, scientists Mim and Fred have joined Robert Oppenheimer to help build the bomb that will end all wars.

I mean, it's clear to see where this is heading, and even if like me you didn't get caught up in the whole Oppenheimer movie hype of 2023, there's a good chance you know the basic facts. (I hadn't seen the move - too long, didn't watch - but I did sit down and watch it over 6 or 7 viewing sessions while I read this book. I preferred the book.) In fact, I think I would have enjoyed this book more without the New Mexico story, but I would have liked the Japanese story to have been fleshed out more. Overall it was a little on the lengthy side, but there was enough interest in PNG and Japan to satisfy me. Recommended.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It was tense and gripping from the beginning. I was engaged with each character and found myself worrying about their future. I loved how the characters engaged with each other. The dialogue between them is expertly handled - very real and relatable.
The way each of the diverse locations was so richly and beautifully described - so much so that you felt like you were there - was a stand-out feature for me. I found myself underlying sentences for future reference.
In this novel, three individual stories come together as a whole. Each story could easily have been a stand-alone novel but reading them alongside each other highlights their significance - to each other and to us today.
The depth of research and acute attention to detail is astounding and adds to the overall feeling of authenticity.
This story and its characters have stayed with me since finishing it. I am still pondering the questions raised, the decisions made, the experiences of the characters, and the relevance to us today. Highly recommend.

[Molly Angliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, historical fiction done well, three overlapping stories set in WW2, probably would have been better with just two or even one, was a lot for one book and I felt the stories sometimes took away from each other rather than added to

[Martyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found To Sing Of War an excellent read! McKinnons novel is amazing both in the depth of detail and obvious historical research of three different cultures and landscapes, in particular Australia’s battle in New Guinea, and Oppenheimers ‘gadget’’ making in Los Alamos, but also the clever interplay of interesting characters’ storylines.
Through the depiction of soldiers, nurses, scientists and a gentle Japanese family’s experiences there were fascinating learnings … soldiers difficulties in different terrains, nurses dealing with trauma/ jungle diseases, Oppenheimer and his teams struggles personal and scientific and the soul wrenching effects epitomised in Hiroko s family.

[Margaret Galbraith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this but did not like the fact it is 3 separate stories in 3 separate locations in one book. The writing is excellent and very descriptive but at times I wanted to just read more about one of the characters without jumping each chapter to a different one.

It’s 1944-1945 set over Papua New Guinea, Japan and Mexico. The detail is exquisite and you can really picture the beauty of the different land but laced with the horror of war.

Many interesting facts are intertwined in this book including Oppenheimer and his testing of the bomb to ‘end all wars’ but it was horrific to say the least and I think one that no-one who lived through that time will ever forget. There’s nothing good about any war and this book just shows the horror of it all. Yet it still continues with man’s inhumanity to man. When will we ever learn!

This is one of the authors coming to Adelaide Writers Week next month (March 2025) and one I’m hoping to see and hear her talk. I think it will be very interesting as she mentions in her acknowledgment this is dedicated to the memory of her mother and father containing many of their stories and experiences of WWII.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know what to expect from this. It was long but beautiful to read so did not feel like a chore. Turns out it’s a 2nd world war novel - based on real events, including the (presumably fictionalised) extraordinary experiences of the authors’ parents in PNG. 3 stories, more or less unrelated except for timeline: Australian soldiers and nurses during the war in PNG, Oppenheimer and his wife and team during the months trying to invent a big ‘gadget’ to end the war, and family life in Hiroshima. I didn’t know much about any of them (have still not watched the movie) so I learnt a lot. Loved the PNG section the most, what a story, what writing, so immersive.

[Jess Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I loved this. The three distinct storylines could totally have each been stand alone stories by themselves but the richness of the overlaying scripts made this book magic. Highly recommend if you like a historic romance/drama; if you liked The Women by Kristen Hannah; or have watched and enjoyed Oppenheimer.

[Toni Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Sing of War by Catherine McKinnon
Recommended to me by bookgrammers lucky enough to read pre release copies, and I am so thankful I followed up. My local library reserved me the book and delightedly it was one of those novels I could not put down. There are three story lines, which worked well for me, though my favourite was definitely the one set in Papua New Guinea with the Japanese story line excellent as well. The characters are very realistic and the emotions they feel, very real too, making this a definite ‘just another chapter’ type of book. Lots to learn, such as the nurses working in the jungle of a Papua New Guinea and the incessant tropical diseases that did as much harm to the patients as the bullets of war. Many readers may not have been aware just how much compassion, strength and resilience the nurses required to work in such an environment, and it was uplifting to see this quietly recognised. The beautiful family we follow in Japan and the challengers they suffer with men folk away at war, words are lost at the final outcome. Then the third setting in the USA such a contrast, parties, fun time and arrogance are explored as the weapon to end all wars is developed. I don’t want spoilers in my review so please read the book, you won’t regret it. Another story that has stayed with me long after the end of the book and characters I often think of. Thank you for the meticulous research and your incredible way with words Catherine.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the vivid descriptions in this book, and the different storylines. My favourite storylines were those set in Papua New Guinea. It’s the first time I’ve read a book that was set there and it was an interesting look into the Australian experience of WW2 in the pacific.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven years after the Miles Franklin Award shortlisted Storyland, author Catherine McKinnon has published a remarkable new novel, To Sing of War. I really liked and admired Storyland (see here) so I didn't hesitate.

As you will know if you've been following my adventures with Shooting Blanks at the Anzac Legend by Donna Coates, you will know that I am fascinated by Australia's preoccupation with war fiction, and have even set up a page in the top menu to list the novels I know about.  To Sing of War will join the long list of WW2 novels, but is one of the few to be set in the Pacific War, and Papua New Guinea in particular.  (The Offspring's paternal grandfather spent his war in PNG, though he never spoke about it, so this has added interest for me.)

While Storyland ranged across time to connect Australia's past, present and future, To Sing of War is multi-layered in its settings. This is from the book description:

December 1944: In New Guinea, a young Australian nurse, Lotte Wyld, chances upon her first love, Virgil Nicholson, there to fight the Japanese and keen to prove his worth as a man. Against the backdrop of a hard-fought jungle campaign, the two negotiate their troubled past. Meanwhile, in Los Alamos, young physicists Miriam Carver and Fred Johnson join Robert Oppenheimer and a team of brilliant scientists in a collective dream to build a weapon that will stop all war, with Oppenheimer also juggling the competing demands of the American military and his clever wife, Kitty. Far away, on the sacred island of Miyajima, Hiroko Narushima helps her husband's grandmother run a ryokan, however, when one of her daughters encounters danger, Hiroko must act to ensure her family's safety.

Though the novel takes a little time to come together, the characterisation carries it through.  Lotte is a feisty young woman working with a courageous team of nurses close to the action and though she's dedicated to her job she is also burdened by a misunderstanding with Virgil that dates back to when they were in Australia.  Exactly what happened isn't revealed immediately, but there are brief letters that cross their paths in PNG.  Neither knows whether their attraction is mutual, and the haphazard nature of jungle warfare means that Virgil is not only constantly at risk, but that Lotte is only too well aware that she may never know his fate.

This tentative relationship is offset by the Los Alamos strand of the novel, which I found resonant with images from the recent film Oppenheimer.

The closed and claustrophobic world of this secret research station is brilliantly conveyed: Robert Oppenheimer's wife Kitty chafes at the restricted lifestyle, reminding me that the architects of the facility understood that scientists would only stay the course in a long project if their wives and families were also at the base.  Nobody gave any thought to how the women might cope with being away from their families and friends, with nothing much to do.

Alongside this thread is the moral question that has plagued the world ever since: can a weapon of mass destruction prevent future wars, and should its secrets be shared?

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2024/05/27/t...

[Mya Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

if this doesn’t win the Miles Franklin i’m throwing hands. an absolute feat of a book that has been pulled off so masterfully

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Sing of War is a layered novel that weaves together the stories of six characters across 3 locations (New Guinea, Hiroshima and Los Alamos) during the final year of WWII.

In New Guinea, a young Australian nurse named Lotte Wyld unexpectedly reunites with her first love, Virgil Nicholson, who is fighting the Japanese. Their encounter forces them to confront their past amidst the harsh realities of a jungle campaign.

Meanwhile, in Los Alamos, physicists Miriam Carver and Fred Johnson join Robert Oppenheimer and a team of brilliant scientists in a collective effort to develop a weapon they believe will end all wars.

On the sacred island of Miyajima, Hiroko helps her husband's grandmother run a guest house whilst he fights for the emperor in New Guinea.

As the characters navigate this pivotal moment in history, they learn how fear influences our behavior and moral compass, what is unforgivable in love and war, and what must be forgiven.

This novel is for fans of the movie Oppenheimer and the book The Narrow Road to The Deep North by Richard Flanagan. This was absolutely a novel epic in scope and subject matter. I have read many, many books set during WWII but very few about the war in the Pacific so this was really interesting to me. It explores morality in war: when is killing someone acceptable? When is killing tens of thousands of people acceptable? Should decisions be made for national or global benefit? This was very well written, and I didn’t mind the changing of POVs throughout the novel, although the jungle scenes with Virgil were probably my least favourite. There was excellent use of imagery and references to classic texts and scripture and music throughout.

[Sue Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning story, realistic humane and thoughtful with hope flowing through, lyrical and richly evocative of the sights sounds and smells of the jungle that war brings, to our lands, our heart, and our mind.

To Sing Of War sings: of fascinating landscapes, the New Guinea jungle, Los Alamos, and Miyajima, Japan; of the everyday lives of deeply moving characters, Lotte, Virgil, Oppenheimer, Mim, Kitty, Hiroko, their stories bound by their humanity and their search for meaning and hope through the heartbreak that is war.

Invested from the get go, I loved it.

[Mark withers · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy historical fiction, you’ll love this novel.

[Kimberley Kanages · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this as much as Storyland, but couldn't. The storylines between all the characters was so disjointed and didn't flow. I think the story would have worked better had it only been the New Guinea storyline, or the Manhattan project but all of them altogether just didn't flow. So much could have been edited out. Like Kitty's storyline was unnecessary.
I really struggled to finish this, and gave up about 100 pages out.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stories set near the end of WWII; Australian soldiers and nurses in New Guinea, a family in Japan and Robert Oppenheimer, his wife and associates working on the atomic bomb in Los Alamos. The latter sub-story was interesting having recently watched the movie Oppenheimer so I could flesh out the characters a bit more in my head. It was a good story but I thought it was overly long and it failed to keep my interest.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the author of the Miles Franklin Award shortlisted Storyland, comes a rich, layered and thrilling novel of love, war and friendship, To Sing of War. December 1944: In New Guinea, a young Australian nurse, Lotte Wyld, chances upon her first love, Virgil Nicholson, there to fight the Japanese and keen to prove his worth as a man. Against the backdrop of a hard-fought jungle campaign, the two negotiate their troubled past. Meanwhile, in Los Alamos, young physicists Miriam Carver and Fred Johnson join Robert Oppenheimer and a team of brilliant scientists in a collective dream to build a weapon that will stop all war, with Oppenheimer also juggling the competing demands of the American military and his clever wife, Kitty. Far away, on the sacred island of Miyajima, Hiroko Narushima helps her husband's grandmother run a ryokan, however, when one of her daughters encounters danger, Hiroko must act to ensure her family's safety. Each of these people yearns to belong, yet each fiercely protects their independence. Secrets, misunderstandings and fears burden them, shame shapes them, hope and imagination lift them up. They are caught in a moment of history, both enthralled and appalled by actions they must undertake. The novel asks what we can learn from this time, when a weapon of mass destruction changed the nature of war and made irreversible changes to our planet. How does fear shape our behaviour, affect our moral being? What is unforgiveable, in love and war, and what must be forgiven? How can one person make a difference in a world that is wondrous, thrilling and endangered? From Miles Franklin-shortlisted author, Catherine McKinnon, comes a beautiful, rich and intricately woven novel of conflict, death, sacrifice and forgiveness, a novel that insists on our interconnectedness and hums with the energy of the world, a blazingly powerful and deeply moving account of friendship, love and war.

[bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was difficult to gather my thoughts about this book because on one hand, i felt it was a beautifully written book that wove together various perspectives from WWII in a highly intricate manner, but on the other hand i wondered why it took me longer than usual to finish. was it a personal thing, perhaps a reading slump? or did the book not grab me as much as i wanted it to?

overall, i enjoyed the book, it isn't something i would disregard and would perhaps even recommend to others if i felt they would enjoy it. i hold a great appreciation for the choice of perspectives involved, as each of them sunk into me and invited me to switch my mindset following each perspective. it was a personal journey for me, reading through opposing perspectives of world war II and the values within each one. linguistically, the writing style was relatively blunt for my liking, but a beautiful sort of blunt that i ended up appreciating it . . . however i did find myself wishing for more descriptive writing throughout the book. something i really really appreciated was the subtle weaving of the perspectives (e.g. antonio ending up in aitape and talking to lotte, or kenzo being one of the captured japanese soldiers in virgil's platoon). i also loved robert and kitty's perspectives, i believe they were written very well, and as someone who has studied oppenheimer and the manhattan project to my wits end, i found it satisfactory for my history loving heart.

i did feel that as enjoyable as the perspectives were, i felt they were rather unbalanced. i adored what the book had to offer regarding hiroko's perspective, but found myself wishing for more. lotte and virgil's perspectives were enjoyable, but i felt they were significantly longer than others, and i found the other perspectives such as fred, mim, and hiroko's went somewhat unanswered for me (i definitely wanted more between fred and mim!).

overall, an enjoyable book, and well written, but not one of my best reads ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა

[Caleb Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed diving into this historical novel set across 3 different areas of WWII. I learnt a lot and thought it raised interesting issues about responsibility and humanity. The PNG parts were particularly interesting and entertaining. However, the more I found things that irked me, the more I couldn't help looking for them.

Perhaps I've been reading too many war novels lately, but it's hard not to compare this novel to other representations of WWII. I was also dismayed that Hiroko's story was so underdeveloped. While McKinnon gave several chapters to testing the atom bombs, the bombing of Nagasaki was a short, vague paragraph. Giving this more weight would have emphasised the human impacts of war, cementing the novel's ethical exploration.

I think that fewer perspectives with more interactions between them would have been more effective and less confusing. Kitty and Hiroko were underdeveloped, and Robert superfluous. Mim could easily have represented the whole Los Alamos plot.

On the other hand, perhaps more perspectives would have prevented BIPOC characters feeling one-dimensional. I disliked Taiko and Virgil and Li and Mim's relationships (not to mention Mim's tacked-on queerness), and the tone in Hiroko's chapters. I also wondered whether Oppenheimer knew that much about Navajo culture and whether white Australian soldiers knew both Tok Pisin and te reo Māori, or if characters with those backgrounds could have been centred more.

[David Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following on from McKinnon's beautiful previous novel Storyland, this is a meticulously braided story weaving together lives across three continents, at a pivotal moment in history. Gives a vivid new perspective on the lived experience of the Second World War in Papua New Guinea—or several perspectives, really, those of both men and women. Catherine McKinnon has clearly done such careful research into the historical background and ecological location of her characters' stories, which lends the novel a striking, realist intimacy. In turn poetic, brutal and funny, this is a novel that carries you along effortlessly. Should appeal to a wide variety of readers.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical fiction has everything. An interesting perspective of Australian Nurses in PNG during the fighting between Australian and Japanese forces. Includes some perspective of the PNG people and there's also a crime to be solved. Excellent historical fiction.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow… Catherine McKinnons research and ability to make you feel so connected to a billioooon characters is incredible. I don’t usually like changing POV, let alone 8!!(?), but I must say I was invested in every side of this story and part of history. A brilliant read. Highly recommend 5/5 ✨

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. I didn't feel particularly attached to any of the characters so other then acknowledging that war is horrible and the thinga that happened to the characters obviously depicts the reality, the individual plots didnt mean much to me. It felt a bit slow in the pacing really.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession - I read only the New Guinea jungle war sections. It was enough, a long read by itself. It opened my eyes to the war experience of soldiers and nurses in PNG during WW2. it’s. It’s a well known part of our history, but rarely have I come across it in novels. The author does a brilliant job of bringing to life the ghastly realities of the suffering of war. She creates great characters, they have a real intensity of how people might feel and act. The setting is famously unbearable as the author recreates it.
This novel has the longest list of acknowledgments I’ve come across. Obviously all that research, those contacts, the histories, the family stories, really helped. But it comes down to the writer’s power of imagination and super skills with written expression to produce such a fantastic novel. (The parts I read)

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books this year. An unexpected surprise. I haven’t read many WW2 booked set in the Pacific so this was a new perspective on the horrors of war. Loved it.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I thought there were too many stories and too many people in this book. But I persevered and was glad I did , as the stories came together as a cohesive whole and illuminated many different aspects of the war.

[Alma G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars. Bookclub read. It was interesting and very well researched. It was just very wordy which made it tedious in parts. It could’ve easily been 100 pages shorter.

[Brigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great characters in each region where war was playing out in different ways. The war continued to progress whilst each character worked through their own problems amidst the unique challenges of the land they were in and the war .

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during WWII, To Sing of War follows four main characters across three locations. Young nurse Lottie and her love, Virgil, who is a soldier- both stationed in New Guinea; Kitty in Los Alamos USA, and Hiroko in Japan.
.
There’s quite a few characters we’re introduced to early on, which has the potential to be confusing, but is done really well and I was able to keep up! There’s some really interesting scenarios the characters find themselves in, and I really enjoyed the various viewpoints and involvement in the war.
.
I wasn’t able to be fully invested in the characters and story, it wasn’t the right fit for me. If you enjoy historical fiction and those set during WWII, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this read.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

McKinnon cuts a romance set among Australians fighting in PNG, with the stories of key figures working on the Manhatten Project, and a tired Japanese family to weave a story of the war.
While the connections between the stories in Japan and Los Alamos do not need to be spelt out - we know where this is going, the sections set in PNG feel a bit like a different story altogether. This isn't exactly bad - I think these are among the strongest sections of the book and the choppy structure works to give a sense of time passing and dislocation - but I did want, perhaps, a clearer connection than just 'war'. Partly, I suppose, they may have been there to give voice to the horror that so many of the Mahatten Project scientists kidded themselves they were ending.
I am not, it must be said, in the mood for Oppenheimer. I read this one alongside Kelly and Zach Weinersmith's excellent non-fiction deconstructing the fantasy of Mars cities, a project funded by meglomaniacs with a thing for Oppenheimer, which possibly made this the abiding schtick. But it feels as if we have rotated around this story so many times, and it never fails to make me furiously sad or sadly furious. McKinnon is smart to set the story in 1945, a time when it was not arguable that the atom bomb was needed to stop Hitler, and by which stage stopping the project would come at a very high personal and professional cost. Her characters twist in the wind, debating whether to share the intelligence with the soviets, a way perhaps of minimising the danger of atomic power by sharing it. It is hard to have sympathy, I have always found, for such brilliant people, many of whom took brave stances for others facing discrimination, who somehow pretended to believe that you could develop a weapon of mass destruction for peace*.
The PNG section, while filled with the misery of stalking pesitilence, terrified jungle warfare and sexual violence, feels like the slower burn of the stories, centered on a gentle love story between two people slowly falling apart in the horror and yet detirmined to hang on to humanity and each other. It isn't something new, but McKinnon does it well and it provides welcome moral simplicity from the agonising at dinner parties and scenic drives in New Mexico.
I didn't love that few of the characters of colour survive, especially in the PNG storyline. It does start to feel a tad as if they must die so that our heroic couple can have some moments of clarity. I do think there are dangers in white Australian writing about countries Australia has colonised in various ways, in avoiding perpetuating a view that their lives are background to Australian dilemmas. And while Hiroko and her family are drawn compellingly, it can feel as if this family exists to show the consequences of other characters' choices as well.
Overall though, an engaging read, which succeeds in exploring the enormity of war.

*In my recently read Playing with Reality by Kelly Clancy, she tells of how HG Wells produced a war game for children hoping that the horror of the calculated casualties would put them off war forever. One of its most fervent players was a young Winston Churchill, so you can see how that turned out.