Review: The Last Reunion
Gaby Meares
During the Burma Campaign of the Second World War, a special unit was created: the Women’s Auxiliary Service (Burma) affectionally referred to as the Wasbies. These women, who were recruited from England, India and Australia served alongside the soldiers, running a mobile canteen that provided the soldiers with much needed tea, meals and supplies, always with a smile. They endured the same arduous conditions as the soldiers, often operating under enemy fire. They were the closest to the frontline of any servicewomen in the entire war (paraphrasing the Author’s Note). As Nunn says, ‘they are the forgotten women of the forgotten war’.
Five women join the Wasbies, looking for adventure and a way to contribute in a meaningful way to the war effort. Although they come from very different backgrounds, Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy soon became the firmest of friends - more like sisters as they support each other through the most gruelling of conditions.
Fast forward to 1999 in London where we meet Olivia who is an assistant to an art dealer. She is sent to meet with Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell a sought-after piece of Japanese art, a netsuke that has been missing since it was stolen from an Oxford museum in 1976. Could this be the same netsuke or is it a replica? When Beatrix is invited to a New Year’s Eve party hosted by Plum in Ireland, she asks Olivia to join her. Bea hasn’t seen her friends since the end of the war, and memories are stirred and secrets are revealed after fifty years of silence.
Women from all walks of life were transformed by their war experiences, making them realise that they could be much more than ‘just a wife’. As Joy admits, “Is it terrible to admit that I’m not even sure sometimes that I want it to be over? I’ve no idea what I’ll do after this. I love being part of something here, not as a daughter or a wife, but as me.”
Nunn cleverly reveals what happened to the women in Burma, and the relevance of the precious fox-girl netsuke. It’s clear that Nunn has done her research, but it is seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story. I found The Last Reunion an engrossing read, with characters who display courage and determination in the face of appalling conditions, always supporting each other. Her descriptions of the men who survived the Burma Railway and the POW camps are particularly moving. They may have come home, but they were never the same again.
This is another great historic novel from Kayte Nunn - highly recommended.