The story unfolds like
a movie; the book is a real page turner. After reaching the end, I searched and
you know what the movie has been released recently (2013) by the same name.
It is a touching
account of a British POW in the Far East during the Second World War. Eric
Lomax was really tortured till death for possessing a wireless receiver- radio
and a very accurate hand drawn map of the eastern railways. But survived.
I was not that much
impressed by the explicit torture narrative as I am also well aware how British
treated their POWs and colonial citizens. Most of Eric’s colleagues and enemies
feared him dead. Eric Lomax account of meeting the Japanese interpreter who was
the cause of all his misfortunes is really interesting, from enemies to
friends. Even after war, free from POW camp and back in UK, Lomax had so
much bitterness towards Nagase (Jap interpreter).
But how they met and reconciled is worth reading. So it happens. This is life.
It is just a matter of time. Time heals.
Eric returns from Japan
with fond memories of Nagase. Moral of the story “Forgive and forget”, I
appreciate Lomax for his forgiveness. Nagase had also changed for good, and was
doing many good deeds now.
It is rightly said
everything is fair in love and war. He lived to write the book after fifty long
years. I loved reading Lomax description about his brief stay in India and mention
about the Garhwali soldiers he was commanding in Singapore.
