The Swap

During World War II Maree glimpsed a little Japanese girl, interned with others. She never forgot her. But now, in the cosy fifties, Maree dreams of stardom and the emerging American rock culture, and worries about her brother Alan, on R&R in Japan after fighting in Korea. Will he return to Korea if war breaks out again? World powers are debating atomic weapons and atomic tests are being carried out in the Pacific. But Alan does arrive home – stunning his family by bringing a young Japanese wife, Keiko. Uncle fought in the Pacific war, so Keiko isn’t welcome. And later, Maree learns why both Uncle and Keiko have reason to hate, if they so choose. Maree finds herself supporting Keiko against her family. And Alan isn’t the easygoing, carefree brother who left home. Keiko also experiences unkindness from outside.

Juxtaposed is Sakura’s story, in the forties. After Pearl Harbour, she and other Japanese are sent from Tonga to New Zealand for internment. The men are separated from them and sent to Somes Island. Sakura and the others don’t speak English, and they have no idea how they’ll be treated. They’ll have a Swedish interpreter and are supervised by a policewoman, who has the lonely job of helping them while not being able to tell them about much or talk to her own colleagues about what she’s doing. We see their enclosed lives and struggles.

Ages 14-17