A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute takes the reader through WWII in Malaya to the Australian Outback. The novel begins in London, where solicitor Noel Strachan is tasked with managing a trust left to a young woman named Jean Paget by a wealthy older client. A sensible and modest woman, Jean shares her remarkable story with Strachan.
Jean was living in Malaya (now Malaysia) during WWII when the Japanese invaded. She and a group of other European women and children were captured and forced on a grueling death march from one village to another because no village wanted the responsibility of the prisoners. Many died along the way due to exhaustion, illness, and malnutrition. A sympathetic Australian prisoner of war, Joe Harman, stole food and medicines to help them. When caught, he was brutally punished and left for dead by the Japanese.
Jean, who had developed strong feelings for Joe during their brief encounter, believed him to be dead and carried on with her life. With an unyielding spirit, she took a leadership role amongst the women, convinced a village to let them stay, and helped the group survive until the war's end.
When Jean learns about her inheritance after the war, she decides to use part of the money to build a well in the village that had helped them. On her journey back to Malaya, she learns that Joe has survived his punishment. Inspired by the revelation, she sets out to find him in Australia.
Jean eventually locates Joe in the remote town of Alice Springs. Their reunion is joyful, and they soon fall in love. However, Jean is disappointed by the lack of opportunities for women in the outback. Inspired by the town she had helped build in Malaya, she decided to use her inheritance to develop a similar community in Alice Springs, focusing on industries and amenities that could provide jobs for women.
By providing these opportunities, she succeeds in preventing the exodus of young people from Alice Springs to bigger cities, and the town begins to flourish. Joe and Jean marry, and their love story is woven through the town's growth and development narrative.
Ultimately, Jean Paget's investments in the town, which include starting various industries and businesses, prove successful. These efforts invigorate Alice Springs and make it a vibrant, attractive place for its residents and stem the outflow of young people searching for better opportunities elsewhere.
