What makes Benjamin cut the picture of Adelaide in a magazine is a mystery even to himself, but he wants to meet her in person. Several attempts at correspondence fail to solicit a reply but he is persistent.
When World War II starts, Benjamin finds himself 465 kilometers away from home and has to find his way back without encountering the Japanese. Weaving historical details from when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the second Pearl Harbor in the Philippines, this memoir chronicles the long and harrowing journey of Benjamin Maranan as he zigzags through the treacherous roads of the Mountain Province and plains of Northern Luzon into the war-stricken city of Manila and the Japanese-occupied provinces. What happens if he encounters the Japanese on the way?

I found this book hard to get into as much of the first five chapters deal with what I call “setting the scene” and quite a lot of this is irrelevant to the story. Chapter six sees the story commence proper, for me. As it progresses there is a lot of talk about local customs and culture which is informative. Plus, a lot of historical facts about The Philippines. It was a harrowing journey with some difficult moments. Not really a book for me.