Mother’s Day: this novel is the perfect gift

The book: The Bird in the Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor

Genre: Historical fiction

Published: 2020

The bake: Custard kisses

What’s the story?

Inspired by true events, this novel takes you on a sometimes harrowing journey to China during World War II. The children at Chefoo School (Western children of diplomats and missionaries) are cut off from their parents and the rest of the world when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in 1941. Suddenly, they are catapulted out of their cocoon straight into the hardships and deprivations of war. The story follows ten-year-old Nancy Plummer and her friends, nicknamed Sprout and Mouse, and their relationship with one of their teachers, Miss Elspeth Kent. The chapters alternate between Nancy and Elspeth’s point of view. As the story progresses, we learn more about the life history of the characters, and the circumstances that brought them to China in the first place.

A big thread running through the novel is the important role Girl Guides played in the lives of both the pupils and the teachers. There’s a very interesting history about the Guides at the back of the novel. Another important facet is how the teachers, especially Miss Kent, had to become mothers to the children. Nancy misses her mother intensely, and this is one of the reasons I chose to feature this book today, just before Mother’s Day here in South Africa. Nancy and the other girls had to grow up under the care of Miss Kent. She helped them grow from little girls to young women.

The story moves from Chefoo all the way to an internment camp. It’s a gripping tale of survival, of making the best of any circumstance, and of the importance of friendship. The ending of the novel will move you to tears, I guarantee it!

Why read it?

What a beautiful novel! I loved every page. It is so interesting to learn more about Girl Guides, and also the journey these children and teachers had to undertake under Japanese rule. Hazel Gaynor creates unforgettable characters, from the menacing guard nicknamed “Trouble” to the colorful Edwina Trevellyan whom the girls meet in the internment camp. Nancy’s intense longing for her mother, and all the other references to motherhood, makes this the perfect novel to celebrate Mother’s Day. If your mom is a reader, The Bird in the Bamboo Cage is an ideal gift. The story will stay with you, and it’s sure to become one of the most memorable books you’ve ever read.

I love historical fiction (I think I might have mentioned it a few times already!) and this book tells the story of a completely different group of people during the war. Marooned in a country far away from home, cut off from loved ones, they had only their own inner strength and will to survive to sustain them until liberation in 1945.

Pair it with: Custard kisses

I had to pair cookies with this book because Girl Guides are famous for selling delicious biscuits! I’ve only ever read about this or seen it in movies. But, when I hear Girl Guides or Scouts, I think of these girls knocking on doors selling cookies. You can find one of my favorite cookie recipes here.

My mother loves baking, and before every holiday, she would bake cookies for our trip. Ginger biscuits, crunchies (oats cookies) and these custard kisses were always firm favorites. I chose custard kisses to pair with this novel. It reminds me of my mother in the kitchen, rolling balls of light yellow cookie dough and pressing them down with a fork. The end result is light and crispy and not too sweet. While reading The Bird in the Bamboo Cage, and experiencing Nancy’s longing for her mother, I thought about how hard it must be to miss your mother for YEARS. How horrible to only have faded letters and no idea when you’d be able to see your mom again…

So, in honor of Mother’s Day, I bake these cookies and think of my wonderful mother. I’m a mother as well, and it has made me appreciate her all the more. Now, she is a wonderful grandmother! And such a source of inspiration to me as I travel my own way through motherhood. Bake these cookies (they are super easy to make!) and spoil your mom this weekend.