The Blue Door

Nine-year-old Norwegian Lise Gronn-Nielsen enjoyed an idyllic early childhood on the tropical island of Java. She had the perfect family, the perfect life. She spent her free time in the many swimming pools nearby and day trips and weekends to the nearby mountains or the beach. The war that had raged in Eastern Europe for over three years seemed a long way from home and the island remained relatively unaffected.

That all changed following an unexpected attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbour in December of 1941. The same forces that were responsible for that cowardly action occupied Java soon afterwards. Within a few short months the majority of Europeans had been forced from their homes and imprisoned in improvised POW camps.

Lise, along with her mother, younger sister and baby brother, was separated from her father and cast into a brutal and murderous environment where death, rape and torture were commonplace. Lise would soon realise that the Japanese had no respect for captured prisoners and being a woman or child made no difference to their treatment.

Described as the Norwegian Anne Frank, it took Lise nearly fifty years before she could put pen to paper and detail the inhuman brutal treatment at the hands of her oppressors. In 'The Blue Door' she captures in incredible, unforgettable detail the confusion, bitterness and will to live spirit of a young child and how her life changed overnight. Lise Gronn-Nielsen describes her torment and anguish during nearly three years in captivity. Her portrayal of events, as seen through a nine-year-old's eyes, is enough to move the reader to tears. She describes in vivid detail how she witnessed her favourite teacher being beaten to death in front of a line of pupils. She explains to the reader how her mother only survived death by days, how she became the protector of her younger siblings, and how she rejoiced with the rest of the prisoners as news of the atomic bombs that ultimately saved them reached the POW Camps.