After Darkness: Chapter 15: Broome, 1941 Summary & Analysis

As another summer comes upon Broome, much of the Japanese community has left town. In Dr. Ibaraki’s circle, only he and Harada remain. One day at the hospital a boy from town delivers a message to Ibaraki and Sister Bernice: that Japan has bombed Hawaii. Ibaraki and Bernice listen to the radio broadcast, which outlines the Pearl Harbor attack. After hearing the news, Bernice tells Ibaraki that he must go back to Japan for his own safety. However, when Ibaraki tells her that he has already decided to stay in Broome to fulfill his duty as a doctor and community member, she is angry. Later that day, she asks to leave early for the first time. Ibaraki thanks her for her help and expresses that he hopes he has not offended her, and Sister Bernice nods and leaves.

During a rainstorm that night, Sister Bernice returns to the hospital. She urges Dr. Ibaraki again to return to Japan, not understanding why he would stay in Broome.  He considers telling her the truth about what happened between him and Kayoko. As he tries with much difficulty to tell Bernice the truth, he notices that they are standing in the same formation that he and Kayoko had on the day she left. Bernice expresses her frustration at the fact that, though they’ve worked together for years, she barely knows him at all. Ibaraki feels overwhelmed by emotion. Bernice also reveals the true reason she left for Geraldton early last year: she realized she had feelings for Ibaraki and thought about giving up her faith for him. Ibaraki is frozen. He tells Bernice that she should stay and that they should discuss it tomorrow, but she leaves without speaking.

The next few days, Sister Bernice does not come to the hospital. Dr. Ibaraki misses her and thinks of her as he works. Though he believes that he did the right thing by not acting romantically, he regrets not reacting with more kindness. After work, he walks through the abandoned Japanese neighborhood of Broome. With very few people left in town, there aren’t many people to treat. Most of the Japanese residents of the town have already been interned, and Dr. Ibaraki wonders why the authorities have not come for him. He visits Harada and Minnie for dinner, where Minnie, who tried to make Harada go back to Japan for his own safety, gets upset at the men’s knowledge that they will be next. Dr. Ibaraki waits to be interned, living in limbo.

One day sometime after his dinner with Harada and Minnie, the officials come to the hospital to intern Dr. Ibaraki. Ibaraki does not protest and goes to pack his bags—because he will need to bring medical equipment, the officers allow him to bring more luggage than the average internee. Ibaraki looks around the hospital and reflects on the warmth it has compared to when he first arrived, having been inhabited by himself and Sister Bernice for the last few years. As the officers lead him down the street, Ibaraki looks back at the hospital, silently saying goodbye.

As Dr. Ibaraki walks through the town with the officers, he reflects on his memories in Broome, having found beauty and community in his time there. He realizes that Broome will never be the same. They pass Ellies’, where Ibaraki had run into Sister Bernice on the Emperor’s birthday. Without thinking, Ibaraki runs from the grip of the officers. One of the officers tackles him and knocks him unconscious. He wakes up in a daze, flashes of memory flowing through his mind.