And the War is Over, by Ismail Marahimin, translated by John H. McGlynn

This short novel of 192 pages came to my attention because I had read the short stories of Lily Yulianti Farid and discovered the Lontar Foundation, which seeks to enhance the profile of Indonesian writing by fostering its translation into English.  There are not many titles to choose from at Amazon, which is, regrettably, the only affordable way to access this collection, but the title of this one appealed because I know so little about the impact of the Pacific War on Indonesia.

The story takes place in a small Sumatran village called Taratakbuluh, where the Japanese have established a prisoner-of-war camp for Dutch internees.   Although there is some of the violence that we have come to expect when reading about Japanese POW camps, Lieutenant Osé runs the camp without excessive brutality, so much so that Sergeant Kiguchi – who suspects looming trouble – feels frustrated that he’s not allowed to…