Wartime Holland. Who can you trust? Deep in the Veluwe woods lies a secret that frustrates the Germans. Convinced that Jews are hiding close by they can find no proof.The secret is Berkenhout, a purpose-built village of huts sheltering dozens of persecuted people. Young tearaway Jan roams the woods looking for adventure and fallen pilots. His dream comes true when he stumbles across an American … stumbles across an American airman, Donald C. McDonald. But keeping him hidden sets off a disastrous chain of events.
Sofie, a Jewish Dutch girl, struggles to adapt to living in Berkenhout, away from her family and friends. As weeks turn to months, she’s worried they’ll abandon her altogether.
Henk Hauer, head woodman, is in charge of building the underground huts and ensuring the Berkenhout inhabitants stay safe.
But many grow suspicious of his liaisons with the Germans. Is he passing on secret information that could endanger lives?
All it takes is one small fatal slip to change the course of all their lives for ever.
Review, May 2018:
“It’s a cracking book, gripping, sensitive heartfelt and excruciating all at the same time. I’ve already recommended it to loads of people. It’s a wonderful story as well and the characters are so human. You do a wonderful job of not making them ‘war caricatures’ that so often happens in literature set in that time, but they all come across as believable humans, with flawed personalities caught in personal as well as political turmoil. Although it’s a book set in war-time, it’s more a book about people and their relationships struggling in a given situation; the war is the backdrop. Which is as it should be. Human stories first. I’ll be sad to finish it!” – Liam Gerrard, BAFTA-nominated actor.
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Very interesting subject matter – based on true events. The writing was better suited to a YA novel. Would have been better as a true history.
I really enjoyed the book until the end. The ending came very abruptly and seemed rushed. The end left me with more questions than answers and left me feeling a little unsettled. Otherwise, it was an entertaining book.
I thought it was poorly written.
Interesting story but just found that it drug a little too much.
Just a good book!
A part of history that you do not hear about. Every informative.
Wanted to like it. But it didn’t seem to follow in order. It jumped all over
As someone who spent 2 years living in The Netherlands, I really enjoyed the story. I did, however, feel that the readability could have been improved by having less characters. It frequently felt like there should have been greater development of the main characters with a smaller supporting cast.
It was just blah. I got halfway through and lost interest. The writer doesn’t seem to know how to develop the characters so the reader cares.