Lots and lots of novels set in Europe, the UK about ordinary people during and after WWII. But very few, in comparison, set in Japan, China or what was then Burma, now Myanmar. The cruelty and ruthlessness of the Japanese armed forces to prisoners and civilians is very well documented, but there hasn't been the same tsunami of fiction coming out of this history. This one is all about a group that you have probably never heard of - the Wasbies - the Women's Auxiliary Service (Burma) which ran mobile canteens for the Allied soldiers involved in the Burma campaign - British, Australian, NZers, Canadians, Americans who made up the 14th Army. The Wasbies were mainly young women - early 20s - looking for some excitement as well as wanting to make a contribution to the war effort. Having lived parts of their lives in British colonies such as Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, they were well suited to the climate and living conditions. But things were still very primitive, basic, at times dangerous but almost always exciting. Much of the detail in the story comes from the diary of one of the surviving Wasbies who wrote about her experiences in India and Burma with the 14th Army. Across thousands of miles of inhospitable jungle, mosquitoes, often in difficult conditions, and from time to time within the sound of the front line, these young women ran char and wads - tea and buns - mobile and static canteens providing the troops with a constant and reliable source of food and drink- all the things they were missing from home.
Joining the Wasbies in the 1940s are Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy. Very different personalities and life stories, they are thrown together, depending on each other for companionship, a shoulder to cry on, assistance in times of danger, sharing secrets, coping together. Not only do they have to cope with their living and sanitation conditions but also the amorous attentions from the soldiers - young and pretty women being very few and far between. The story is narrated from Bea's point of view - smart, hard working, a real asset to the team and to the Wasbies.
In later years, 1974, Bea finds herself responsible for the disappearance of a rare piece of Japanese miniature wooden sculpture a netsuke. This special item becomes a key feature in the story, and in the relationships amongst the other characters, but it remains out of sight for many years. In 1999 Bea finds that her home is beginning to fall apart around her, forcing her to bring the netsuke out for auctioning. But first provenance - that the netsuke is hers - has to be proved. How did she come to have this rare and expensive treasure? Into the picture comes Olivia, a young Australian woman who is an expert in Asian and oriental art. She is in living in London on her OE working for a ghastly woman, who despatches her to Bea's place to check out these items Bea wants to auction off. Things happen, resulting in Olivia and Bea striking up a friendship. Bea is an elderly woman by now, but has lost none of her feistiness.
The reunion in the title refers to a New Year's party taking place in Galway at the end of 1999 at the home of fellow Wasbie Plum. Bea doesn't want to go, but to sort the provenance of the netsuke she has to, so she asks Olivia to go with her.
Moving seamlessly between the two time periods, this is a really good story. Great characters - the women are fearless, brave, terrified, funny, smart, positive, defiant. Olivia is a great character too, trying to find her feet in London, living the classic OE on rubbish pay, grotty flat, struggling to make friends. The Burmese jungle is a frightening and unknown place, the Japanese soldiers a constant threat and fear to everyone, Wasbies and soldiers alike. Yet somehow in all this chaos, danger, death, primitive living, they find love, friendship, dancing, laughter. Very uplifting, the power of friendship and shared experiences surviving 50 years.
