The two main characters of the this story are Rand Sterling and Irene Reynolds, who both find themselves in a Japanese internment camp on the Philippines during WWII. The two protagonists come from very different backgrounds. Rand ran a successful nightclub in Manila before the war, living a life of wealth and carefree entertainment. Irene, on the other hand, abandoned by a her parents, grew up a missionary with her aunt in the jungle, far away from then big city life and entertainment and culture of Manila. The two could not be any different in their lives prior to the war and now fate has brought them together.
While the eventual romantic development between the two characters is somewhat expected, the story line itself has enough interesting twists to keep the book interesting. Rand suffers a failed escape attempt from the camp, in part due to Irene, and then after being held and tortured by the Japanese, finds himself back in the camp. Irene's aunt is falling ill and sent to the hospital, where Irene, who tends to her aunt, now sees a chance to ask forgiveness from Rand.
What develops is a story in which we see how the two characters deal with the ability to forgive (and to some degree forget about the past) and their ability to move forward. There are some interesting twists in the story at this stage and the author uses this part to show how our approach to others can impact our own life and happiness.
Overall, this is a good book about a rather dark period in history. But the author does a good job of keeping the story going and educating the reader about this part of history, while still providing an entertaining book.
Disclaimer:
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this blog is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third parties.
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