First published 1999
Annie de Leeuw crouches in the small upstairs bedroom, listening to footsteps below. For over two years, this cramped space in a Dutch farmer's house has been her entire world. Outside, Nazi soldiers patrol the streets, searching for Jews like her family. The farmer and his wife risk their own lives by sheltering her, but Annie knows that discovery means death or deportation to the camps. She watches the seasons change through a single window, marking time by the sounds of farm life below. Hunger gnaws at her constantly, and fear follows her into sleep. Annie learns to move silently, to speak in whispers, to become invisible. The war rages on while she grows from child to teenager in hiding. Each day brings new dangers and small acts of courage from her protectors. Annie must find strength in confinement and hope in darkness, clinging to the belief that she will someday walk freely again.
Genres: holocaust, historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Netherlands, Dutch
Period: World War II
Paperback · Demco Media
Content warnings: violence, war