Enemy Camp by
David Hill, Penguin Random House NZ
Being a great fan of New Zealand historical stories, I was keen
to read this riveting tale about the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in
Featherston in 1942/1943. The story is written in diary format by 12-year-old
Ewen, whose father is a guard at the camp. It focuses on Ewen, his best friend
Barry, and Barry’s 10-year-old brother Clarry. Clarry recently caught polio,
and is using crutches and leg braces to get round. The main plot thread is the
uneasy relationship between the Japanese prisoners and the New Zealand guards,
and the narrative tension steadily tightens as the fateful date draws close – 25
February 1943.
When the climax of a story is already known, it takes much
skill to weave a plot that keeps the reader’s interest right up to the big
event. David Hill does this superbly by developing sympathetic characters along
with excellent secondary plot strands (eg. Clarry’s recovery, coping with life
in a country at war, a respectful relationship between the boys and a Japanese
officer).
The shootings are is not glossed over in any way. When the
riot occurred the New Zealand guards opened fire and 31 Japanese were killed
instantly, 17 died later, and 74 were wounded. The boys witness the terrible
happenings, and their subsequent trauma is gut-wrenching.
The publisher’s blurb says it’s suitable for 9 to
14-year-old readers. I’d be a bit cautious about the lower end of the scale –
maybe better to say 10-year-olds, and mature ones at that. Highly recommended
as an addition to intermediate and secondary school library collections on the
topic of New Zealand at war.
ISBN 978 0 14 330912 3 RRP $19.99 Pb
Reviewed by Lorraine Orman
