This is ostensibly a story about the invasion of Belgium in May 1940, told from the point of view of teenager Simone Lyon.
Simone is 18 in August 1939 when she meets Hava Daniels, whilst the two are volunteering for the Red Cross, and the pair quickly become inseparable. Simone is the only child of General Joseph Lyon, a Belgian national hero and Hava is the eldest child of a devout Jewish family. As Hitler’s men move across Europe and ever closer to her home, Simone is warned that her association with Hava is not safe and that she should distance herself - Simone doesn’t listen, her friend means too much to her.
On 10th May 1940 German troops invade Belgium, bombing everywhere and heading their troops towards Brussels, so the girls are forced to flee. We follow their attempts to escape and the prejudices that they encounter. As you read you know that it isn’t going to end well…but the girls are both such likeable characters that you will this book to be able to somehow change the outcome.
At the start of every chapter there are timescale setting epigraphs - some from famous figures at the time - Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler being amongst them, which give the story extra gravitas. However, there are also some epigraphs which are extracts from the war journal of Christopher De Vinck’s grandfather. This is a nice personal touch to have words written by someone who was a serving Belgian soldier during the Second World War.
The story is so beautifully and vividly written that I could envision the girls’ world, the devastating changes happening to it and their journey. It felt like I was with them every step of the way. A recommended read.
Simone is 18 in August 1939 when she meets Hava Daniels, whilst the two are volunteering for the Red Cross, and the pair quickly become inseparable. Simone is the only child of General Joseph Lyon, a Belgian national hero and Hava is the eldest child of a devout Jewish family. As Hitler’s men move across Europe and ever closer to her home, Simone is warned that her association with Hava is not safe and that she should distance herself - Simone doesn’t listen, her friend means too much to her.
On 10th May 1940 German troops invade Belgium, bombing everywhere and heading their troops towards Brussels, so the girls are forced to flee. We follow their attempts to escape and the prejudices that they encounter. As you read you know that it isn’t going to end well…but the girls are both such likeable characters that you will this book to be able to somehow change the outcome.
At the start of every chapter there are timescale setting epigraphs - some from famous figures at the time - Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler being amongst them, which give the story extra gravitas. However, there are also some epigraphs which are extracts from the war journal of Christopher De Vinck’s grandfather. This is a nice personal touch to have words written by someone who was a serving Belgian soldier during the Second World War.
The story is so beautifully and vividly written that I could envision the girls’ world, the devastating changes happening to it and their journey. It felt like I was with them every step of the way. A recommended read.