The War Outside

The War Outside
Monica Hesse
Little Brown, Sept. 2018 318 pages
Grades 8-Up
Historical Fiction

Alternating Points of view tell the story of two girls detained in an internment camp during World War II, who strike up an unlikely friendship. Haruko travels with her mother and sister to Crystal City, Texas to join father, who was picked-up by the FBI. One of the first girls Haruko meets is, Margot whose father is accused of being a Nazi. Although his father wishes to stay apart from the other Nazi detainees, he is feeling pressure to join their ranks. Meanwhile, Haruko worries about her brother, who is serving overseas with the American forces. The two girls develop a close friendship, sharing fears and secrets, that begins to turn into something more. Tragedy strikes when two young girls drown in the camp swimming pool and the fragile harmony within the camp threatens to explode. Both sets of parents make choices for their families impacting the girl's future and they must in turn make their own tough choices, possibly betraying those they care about the most.

Hesse turns away from the Holocaust towards an unexplored chapter of World War II history in her sophomore teen novel. An author's note at the end explains Hesse's interest in Crystal City and separates the fact from fiction. Much different than other internment camps in the US during the war, Crystal City housed what was considered families of war criminals and spies. Since exchanges were made with the enemy countries, these residents were treated marginally better than other detainees and this is the only internment camp of mixed Japanese and German families. Hesse has certainly done her research and crafts and interesting story around the facts. The setting is fully realized and readers can almost feel the heat and dryness of the Texas sun. Though quiet in nature, there is enough action to keep readers turning pages. Much as in Girl in the Blue Coat, the plot gets really interesting in the end and Hesse is not afraid to surprise the reader. The romance is mostly inferred and not really acted upon, making readers guess if it is really happening, much as the characters themselves are questioning the status of the relationship. The adults are realistically flawed, as are the young people. Mistakes are made, feelings are hurt, and there are no easy answers or happy endings, yet the reader is left with a feeling of hope and satisfaction. Monica Hesse is a talent to continue to watch and her books will certainly find a readership with sensitive lovers of historical fiction.