When Chloe Adams first stumbled across a small bundle of family letters, she had no idea they would spark a decade-long journey into fiction writing — or lead her to win the prestigious Penguin Literary Prize.

Key points:

Chloe Adams’ debut novel, ‘‘The Occupation‘, takes readers to Japan in 1948, when the country was still reeling from the devastation of World War II.

The story of ‘The Occupation’ is inspired by Chloe’s grandmother Mary, one of 16,000 Australians who served in the Allied occupation of Japan.

That mix of careful research and imaginative storytelling gives the book its depth — and allows readers to step into a complex moment in history.

Her debut novel, ‘The Occupation’, takes readers to Japan in 1948, when the country was still reeling from the devastation of World War II.

Through the eyes of a young Australian woman named Mary, Chloe explores the unlikely mix of hardship and hope, foreign aid and expat comfort, that characterised the Allied occupation in Hiroshima.

“I inherited eight letters from my grandmother,” Chloe explains. “They were written from Kure, where she was based, to an aunt back in Australia. The things she wrote about — parties, picnics, going to the office club for dinner, dances on the weekend — they didn’t always match what I thought life in post-war Japan would have been like.”

Chloe Adams’ debut novel, ‘The Occupation’, takes readers to Japan in 1948, when the country was still reeling from the devastation of World War II.

A decade in the making

Chloe’s success has been anything but overnight.

“I was a journalist for a long time, but deep down I’d always wanted to write fiction,” she says. “For years I didn’t try, because I was too scared I’d find out I wasn’t good enough. Then I quit my day job, became a mum, and thought — I need to give this a go.”

Over ten years, she wrote two full manuscripts that never made it to publication. But she kept going. “The Penguin Literary Prize is for unpublished manuscripts, so if there are any writers out there… it’s certainly one to consider applying for,” she encourages.

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The Penguin Literary Prize is for unpublished manuscripts.

When ‘The Occupation’ finally won, it opened the door to publication. “A year later, your book finally makes it into the bookshops,” Chloe smiles.

Family ties to history

The story of ‘The Occupation’ is inspired by Chloe’s grandmother Mary, one of 16,000 Australians who served in the Allied occupation of Japan.

“The Australians were situated in and around the Hiroshima prefecture,” Chloe says. “By 1948, Japan was relatively stable. There was important work being done, but there was also this little expat world that had sprung up.”

That “strange cognitive dissonance,” as Chloe describes it, fascinated her — the idea that while Japanese locals faced the long road of rebuilding, many Australians were enjoying a social life of dances, dinner clubs, and flower-picking outings.

The story of ‘The Occupation’ is inspired by Chloe’s grandmother Mary, one of 16,000 Australians who served in the Allied occupation of Japan.

The heart of the story

For Chloe, the book is about much more than historical detail. “Mary comes from a very sheltered home in Australia. Travelling to Japan expands her worldview. But there are serious consequences — she comes home pregnant and unwed. In that time period, that was not a great place to be.”

The novel explores how moral choices look different across cultures and eras. “Travel changes us,” Chloe reflects, “and we grow to understand more about the world.”

That mix of careful research and imaginative storytelling gives the book its depth — and allows readers to step into a complex moment in history.

Eight letters does not a novel make

With only eight family letters to go on, Chloe had to blend fact with fiction. “Eight letters is definitely not enough to write a whole novel,” she says. “The main plot points reflect my grandmother’s experience, but a lot is speculative. Thankfully, there’s a wealth of research, letters, and memoirs from other Australians who were there at the time.”

That mix of careful research and imaginative storytelling gives the book its depth — and allows readers to step into a complex moment in history.

Listen to the full conversation in the player above.

Future inspiration?

Chloe’s creative mind isn’t short on ideas. “The problem I have is I have a different idea every day,” she laughs. “But with kids and promoting a book, finding time to immerse myself in one story is the challenge.”

For now, she’s enjoying connecting with readers. “I’m on Instagram — not a huge social media person — but I can be found if people would like to make contact.”

‘The Occupation’ invites readers to see post-war Japan through an unexpected lens — one shaped by real letters, real lives, and the tensions between comfort and loss, duty and personal desire.

Listen to the full conversation in the player above.

Feature image: Penguin Books