Darla's Reviews > Chasing Shadows

The Netherlands is in my DNA. My grandparents all emigrated to the state of Iowa well before WW I, so they were not faced with a Nazi occupation. I can see still see my people in these pages, especially in Lena and Pieter as so many of my relatives have been farmers. This is one of my favorite novels from WW II. Lynn Austin has done such a fabulous job in giving us a diverse cross-section of players. Miriam is a young Jewish women who flees Cologne, Germany with her father and is then trapped after the Nazis invade. Lena and Peter are married with three children and have their own farm in the Netherlands. Many are given shelter and sustenance at their hands during the war. Their daughter Ans breaks free from her family to make a life in the big city of Leiden. She becomes active in the Resistance during the war as she applies what has been taught to her by her preacher-Grandfather, late grandmother, and parents. While she is being interrogated by the Nazis she finds the answer to the 1st question of the Heidelberg catechism providing comfort and guidance. Moments like that show the authentic faith that comes alive in the midst of trials. Lena also realizes that each day demands her letting go of trying to be in control and trusting God. The lives of these three women intertwine and their experiences remind us of the horrors that exist when war comes to you. As I read this book I could not help thinking of the people of Ukraine. May God bless them, and keep them, and make His face to shine upon them . . .and give them peace.