Dutch | E-book, also available as paperback, | Author: Gerda Hartkamp | ISBN 9789492632685 | 362 pages with photos

What is this e-book about?

Experience the war in the Dutch East Indies and the subsequent struggle for independence from three different cultures in Gerda Hartkamp 's historical novel Verscheurd vertrouwen (Torn Trust).

Oaki Masashiro is a soldier in the Japanese army. His harrowing experiences during the war in China continue to haunt him, and he works his way up with the intention of doing everything in a more humane way. After the annexation of the Dutch East Indies, he seizes his chance when he is put in charge of a prisoner-of-war camp on Flores. On that island, he also encounters love and a different faith. This changes him as a person. Until he thinks the war is over and he is once again confronted with the cruelty of mankind.

Floris de Boer is a major in the KNIL, the Royal Dutch East Indies Army. His life is severely tested by the Japanese occupation and life in prisoner-of-war camps. Even after that, his life is turned upside down, causing his norms and values to fade and enabling him to take actions he never thought possible.

Sinjo Widjaja is a young Javanese man. He is secretly in love with an Indo-European girl, but he knows that he can never meet her father's demands. When war breaks out on Java, his fortunes change and he too is faced with impossible choices.

These three very different lives appear to be unrelated. But due to the war in Asia and the subsequent national struggle for an independent Indonesia, they have a major influence on each other. A Japanese commander, a white KNIL soldier, and a Javanese young man. Three cultures and ideals in conflict, blurring the boundaries between friendship and enmity. What dominates? Honor, conscience, or love?

A remarkable true story forms the basis for this e-book.

Gerda Hartkamp made her debut with the bookVan Friese klei naar tropenuniform (From Frisian Clay toTropical Uniform). While conducting thorough research for this true story about her grandparents, she came across the remarkable story of Japanese soldier Aoki Masashiro. She found it so intriguing that it became the inspiration for her latest book and e-book.

Order now and immerse yourself in this historical novel

Order Gerda Hartkamp's e-book Verscheurd vertrouwen (Torn Trust) now and start reading right away.

What readers say

What an ending!
This book by Gerda Hartkamp is also difficult to put down. You just keep reading. Mainly because I was curious to see how the three stories would come together. Well, that turned out to be very surprising. I am still shocked by the unexpected ending.
Marleen
Confrontational, broadening, and compelling
I finished reading your book "Torn Trust" and I want to let you know that I am impressed. At first, I was tempted to put the book down because the descriptions of violence and dehumanization were so powerful. But in the end, the book drew me in more and more. It really broadens your thinking and opinion to tell the story from three different, constantly shifting perspectives. The intentions, beliefs, and sliding scale on which people make their choices, shaped by circumstances. It's easy to talk about good and evil when you're not in circumstances that force you to make choices you wouldn't normally make under "normal" circumstances. How a person is shaped by circumstances and can become a perpetrator or victim in a kind of frightening dance. It teaches me humility. Once again, thank you for writing this book. Although confrontational, I am glad to read a story in which the ugly sides of history have not been glossed over.
Ineke