A Message for Nasty

by Roderick Fry

Marie Broom and her husband Vincent enjoy a pleasant life on Hong Kong Island. Vincent is a New Zealander. Marie is Portuguese-Chinese. Married for ten years, the couple have four adored children—daughters aged 9, 8, and 5, and a baby son of 14 months. Vincent’s job as a marine engineer often takes him overseas. It is December 8, 1941. In a few hours their lives will change forever. Marie wakes in the family’s home to the sound of bombs falling. Within days, Japanese soldiers have invaded the island. Their building is surrounded. Most British residents are rapidly interned. Vincent is in Singapore. Soon he too is trapped as that island comes under attack. Marie, the children, and the family’s four live-in amahs must face the increasingly brutal Japanese occupation alone. This page-turning novel, based on a true story, tells of Marie’s struggle to save her children from danger, disease, and starvation and Vincent’s incredible attempt to rescue them. Legendary figures appear, from New Yorker correspondent Emily Hahn to Lindsay Ride, founder of British Army Aid Group. But at its heart this is a story of the hard and heart-wrenching decisions that must be made in wartime.

Genres: Historical Fiction

282 pages, Paperback

Published October 26, 2022

Reviews

[Lauren Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting read. This family history reads like a novel. It has all the ingredients- suspense, action, romance, despair. I learned much from reading it, and it was brilliant having the maps to follow the journey of the author’s grandparents. This is a beautiful blend of history and imagination. Reading it I was full of regret that I hadn’t listened more to the stories of my grandparents. What a treasure this book is. Highly recommended.

[Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

all throughout my studies in human services (maj. youth work) and then my teaching degree, and now my profession as a teacher in aotearoa, i get tasked with completing a pepeha. and although i am so grateful for those who have developed templates and walked me through how to do one for a non-māori, i greatly wish that that i knew more about my whakapapa.

i envy those who understand where they come from and how this contributes to their identity. i’m stuck in a diaspora. throughout the years, i’ve learnt more about my past, but i don’t think i will ever know enough. for those who can ask their elders for stories of their past, please do.

[Kiwiflora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally riveting account by the grandson of Vincent and Marie Broom who found themselves separated as a result of Japan's invasion of Hong Kong at the end of 1940. Marie was of Portuguese/Chinese descent so was able to get away with not being classified as a foreigner during this period of occupation. With her four young children and two amahs, life in occupied Hong Kong was very difficult and traumatic. Meanwhile Vincent, a marine engineer from New Zealand, fortuitiously, otherwise he would have been imprisoned, was in Singapore on a work assignment when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong. Not knowing what the situation in Hong Kong was with his family, he managed to escape Singapore in the nick of time before it too was taken over by the Japanese. After many months, and long tortuous journeys by both Vincent and Marie with the children and amahs, the family was eventually reunited.

The author has greatly honoured the dedication, tenacity and deep deep love within the family his grandparents created. The Brooms' eventual reunion would not have happened without the huge support and many risks that groups on the ground took to enable this to happen. Some losing their lives as a result.

As well as being an extremely well told story of survival and grim determination with very limited resources, we are given an immersive account of what day to day life was like in Japanese occupied territories. These are still little-told stories. Aside from the horrors of the Burma railway and prisoner of war camps for captured enemy forces and Europeans, we have heard little about what life was like for those who continued to live in their homes/cities/towns. You read a book like this, and you can fully understand how the Japanese were so intensely hated after the war ended. It was thrilling to see that Marie and Vincent, and many of the people from their pre-war lives, went onto great success and happiness in their post-war lives.

[Derek Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a comfortable read but an important and valuable one with insight and revelation into human resilience and fortitude in the face of war and denial of one’s freedom.
These stories continue to offer insights into the challenges and deprivations that continue to ravage and haunt global populations today as wars and crimes against humanity and individual lives are demoralised and destroyed.
That such stories may offer invaluable lessons and emotional reactions that contribute towards a more humane and peaceful resolution to global stability makes such sharing of experiences important and hugely important.

[Lily Ninburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting story of a family separated by the Pacific War living through and witnessing horrors of the war and overcoming all obstacles to reunite. Love triumphs. Resilience abounds. The journey to reunite with family and loved ones is gripping and the characters on the journey tell different threads of the stories, all weaving together beautifullly.

[Emma Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story that I read in one day. The story is set around a period of WW2 that may not be as well know and I don’t think much has been written to include a women’s perspective of being under Japanese occupation occupation. It’s an incredible tale. The fact that the story is based on true events is even more remarkable. It’s a must read.

[Valerie Xae Csting · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extraordinary journey, the story of a family separated by war and fighting to be together again.
All the more impressive as it did happen. I saw the story like a movie as I read. No wonder it was no 1 when it came out in New Zealand !

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very gripping story, fast paced and at time pretty horrifying. I knew nothing of this war before reading the book.