The Sun in His Eyes, is book written by Renée Belloni. It explores the life of Claude Belloni, a Dutch-Indonesian man whose experiences capture the complex identity struggles of mixed-race Indonesians during and after Dutch colonial rule. Claude’s life, marked by extraordinary events—from surviving a shipwreck and witnessing the atomic bombing of Nagasaki as a forced laborer to facing discrimination upon migrating to the Netherlands—reflects the challenges faced by many mixed-race Indonesians caught between two worlds.
The review also touches on Australia’s immigration policies, highlighting how the White Australia Policy initially restricted migration for individuals like Claude’s family, pushing them to settle in the Netherlands. Eventually, Claude’s daughter, Renée Belloni, made her home in Australia, and her book brings this often-overlooked history into Australian consciousness, enriching the narrative of the country’s multicultural heritage. Originally written in Dutch, Belloni’s English adaptation invites Australian readers to connect with this layered, historical story, broadening their understanding of Indonesia’s colonial past and its ties to modern Australia.
