First published 2021
Janny and Lien Brilleslijper watch Nazi forces sweep into the Netherlands in 1940. The Jewish sisters from Amsterdam refuse to submit. By 1943, they operate "The High Nest," a hidden refuge in the woods that shelters dozens of Jews and condemned artists. Their secret network helps restore fragments of Amsterdam's cultural life even as terror grips Holland. The sisters risk everything to save others, turning their safehouse into one of the country's most vital resistance centers. Their work attracts artists and partisans who create an underground web of hope. But betrayal comes. The Nazis discover The High Nest and arrest everyone inside. Janny and Lien find themselves on the final transport to Auschwitz, traveling alongside Anne Frank and her family. The sisters befriend Anne and Margot during the horrific journey. At the camp, they face unimaginable brutality while Allied forces advance across Europe. Stripped of possessions and safety, the sisters cling to their bond and their will to survive. Their courage sustains them through the darkest moments of human cruelty.
Genres: holocaust, historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: courage, found-family
Setting: Amsterdam, Auschwitz, The High Nest, The Netherlands
Period: 1940s, 1943
320 pages · Paperback · Harper Paperbacks
Content warnings: death, violence