South by Java Head by Alistair MacLean

I do not think I ever bought this book when I was younger. I do not have any recollection about reading this book. It is a lengthy novel when compared to the others written by Alistair MacLean. It is set during the time before the Japanese invasion on Australia when Singapore fell to the Japanese forces. There is a rag tag group of people – a few nurses, some injured soldiers, a retired officer, a Muslim cleric, an elderly lady and a young child are all seeking a boat to flee the city. Apparently it is vital that the retired officer finds a boat to Australia as he has important papers showing the plans of invasion into Australia. This knowledge would be immensely useful to the forces protecting Australia.

The slave boat they choose is manned by people less than honourable and the passengers are left to die when the boat is on fire. In the hurricane weather they fortunately get seen by a ship transporting oil. The subsequent rescue and the attack by the Japanese fighters are detailed even though this part of the story moves fast. The ship takes a hit on one of the oil tanks and sinks with the survivors taking to a life boat and the crew of the slave boat on another as no one trusts them. The boat drifts along the current with hardly any wind and the run to reach Java is agonising.

The details of the weather, the ship and boat and the hardships that the people face with illness, lack of food and water are vivid and often too much to take it. The child becomes the focus of hope and keeping his safe becomes important. Strange, how that it is always easier to focus on that small child rather than wider picture of saving all. It is something to do with the mind not being able to process enormous issues as well as a single issue.

There is an ambush on the way and even the boat is lost. The help from locals eventually also comes with a price for them. I am not sure if I can believe all the adversity they overcome. The superhero persona of a couple of the main characters, even though I do strongly believe that extreme stress bring out the best on people and that adrenalin take over to achieve superhuman feats. The injury of individuals gets the heroism started but it truly blossoms when the brave nurse, the young child and the injured ship’s captain are taken hostage.

The level of violence in this book is indeed much more that other books I have read so far. Combined with the length of the book I actually took a long time to read this novel. The end when it came was satisfactory but abrupt. The heroism in the couple of chapters is awesome and you want a slow letting down from that adrenalin high of reading this ending. But any lover of Alistair MacLean novels should not omit reading this as the art of the writer is displayed in the keep eye of detail of the situation and the times.