ATHOUR: LYNN AUSTIN
Lena de Vries lives on her Dutch farm with her husband, Pieter, and their children. Her eldest, Ans, longs for something more and gets a job in Leiden, where she meets Miriam Jacobs, who relocated there from Westerbork, a Jewish refugee camp. Ans is not worried about the threat of Hitler because the Netherlands are neutral, until 1939, when the Nazis invade and throw the three women's lives into dangerous turmoil. Ans starts working for the Resistance, though she must keep it from her boyfriend, a cop who wants to lay low until the war is over. Soon Lena is driven by her Christian faith to hide Jews and deserters on the farm, while Ans ferries information, avoiding Nazi patrols. Miriam must hide separately from her husband and infant in order to survive. Their stories intertwine throughout the war, revealing a less-told history of WWII to historical fiction readers. Austin (Waves of Mercy, 2016) has written a powerful tale of domestic heroism and faith, with all three women questioning and then turning to God for strength.