by Lucille Abendanon
publisher’s synopsis
Batavia, Dutch East Indies, 1942.
Emmy has the voice of an angel but hasn’t sung a note since a family tragedy. With war looming, her father plans to ship her off to a singing school in England for safety. But all Emmy wants to do is stay in Batavia with her best friend, Bakti, even if it means putting up with her snooty classmate, Violet. Then the Japanese army invades—and as war erupts in the Dutch East Indies, Emmy’s world falls apart.
When her own actions sabotage her chance to evacuate the island, Emmy is captured and confined in the Tjideng prisoner-of-war camp with other women and children. Separated from her family and friends, and silenced by her grief, Emmy will need all her strength to survive the war, find her voice, and reclaim her freedom.
I love it when historical fiction novels give me a glimpse into an otherwise unfamiliar time period or a new perspective in a familiar time period. The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree is the latter. Most WWII novels take place in either America or Europe, but this book takes place in the Dutch East Indies, modern-day Indonesia.
It was super cool to read the author’s note after finishing the novel and learn that The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree is based off of the author’s grandmother’s life in the Dutch East Indies during WWII. It deepened the novel in a way.
The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree is a story about friendship, perseverance, and hope. The plot is well-balanced and the characters engaging. I really enjoyed this look into a part of WWII history that I didn’t know about.
Cautions: two blasphemies; three instances of coarser language; non-descriptive mentions of wartime realities*
*It’s been a little bit since I finished The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree, so I may have forgotten a caution
The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree releases January 23, 2024. I received an eARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hailey Huntington 
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