Review: "Thief of Glory" by Sigmund Brouwer

Once in a while, when you turn the final page of a book, your thoughts are: “Wow, what a story”. Thief of Glory is just such a book. I was drawn into the story from page one and could not put it down. On a scale of one to five, this is definitely an eight.

This story begins with 10 year old Jeremiah Prins and his family. They live a life of privilege in the Dutch East Indies until the Japanese Imperialist invasion where his mother and younger siblings are separated from his father and half-brothers and sent to live in the Jappenkamp with the other women and children from his town. His father has given him instructions to take care of his mother and the young children and he sets out to accomplish this impossible task. Life in the camp is brutal. It is over-crowded and disease ridden. There is never enough food or medicine. He struggles against the odds to save them all. Later, after the camp is liberated by the British, he gets sent to Holland to move on with his life but he is forever haunted by the camp.

The story is seamless, it flows from beginning to end. Because of the author’s imagery of camp life it felt tangible, you could smell the sewage and feel the desperation of the prisoners. Right to the last page, the story is gripping. It is totally unpredictable but no questions are left unanswered. Although this is historical fiction, Sigmund Brouwer draws on the history of his grandparents and parents and brings this to life.

By all means, pick up this book. My review does not do it justice or begin to touch on the extraordinary story that is revealed in the pages. It is definitely one of my favorites and I will be recommending it highly to my friends and family.

I reviewed this book for Blogging for Books.