Book info

• Title Under the Sun
• Author Justin Kerr-Smiley
• Year 2007
• Genre Historical

It is the final weeks of World War Two and the Japanese forces are in retreat. Young Spitfire pilot, Edward Strickland is based in the South Pacific. His task is to search and destroy any remnants of the once mighty Imperial Army. During a dawn patrol he is forced to ditch his aircraft near a remote island.

Thoughts

This is the brief story of an English RAF pilot who is taken prisoner on a remote South Pacific island by the Japanese. He’s lucky enough to have a friendly captor, and makes something of a life for himself on the island, following the final moments of the second world war from the point of view of the Japanese.

It’s an interesting story, but one that doesn’t quite seem to know what it wants to be. It could be a fantastic war drama/thriller, with better fleshed out characters and a few more incidents here and there. It could also be a more indy tale, wistful and sweeping, digging into the depths of two cultures trying to reconcile with each other.

Instead, we’ve got something halfway between the two, so that although it’s a great concept, it doesn’t quite satisfy on either front. It’s short and sweet, though, and definitely worth a look.

Rating: 3 / 5