The Boy In The Attic

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The Boy in the Attic by Imogen Matthew- WW2 historical fiction 

Set in two timelines this tells the story of Ilse in Holland during the second world war and of Anna in present day (2001). Ilse has been trying to forage for food ever more getting scarce since the Germans invaded. They have had to resort to eating tulip bulbs as there is little else around. When Ilse gets an invitation to go and help her friend at the sanatorium it is a double blessing. Ilse wanted to train to be a doctor before the war started and going would mean that meagre rations would last her parents longer. On arrival in Amsterdam she soon discovers her friend is hiding rather more than a secret. Anna is trying to find the family of her father who they have just found out about his origins which takes her to Holland, away  from Hugo who she is getting rather tired of.

 I loved this. For me the dual timelines were easy to follow and really gave the story an edge. I empathised with both Ilse and Anna both being in difficult situations not necessarily of their choosing and their own empathy and kindness for others. This is part of a series (The Wartime Holland series) and would happily stand alone ( I had only read the second one). Part of this is based on facts from Imogen’s own family history which brings home exactly how things were. A stunningly evocative, moving story. 5* from me.


 For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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Book Description:

Anna opened the letter with trembling hands. ‘My darling, if you’re reading this, I haven’t managed to unravel my parents’ secret. But you can. Will you finish the search for me, find out who they were, and who you really are?’

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1944. As soldiers patrol the streets, nursing student Ilse is only just surviving the terrible famine and increasingly violent German occupation. Though exhausted by her demanding work at a hospital far from home, she can’t help but notice Levi, the young man with the dark eyes watching the world silently from the abandoned house next door.

Then, early one morning, she finds him terrified and trembling with cold on the back doorstep. Levi’s Jewish family have been arrested and sent to a concentration camp, their likely fate all too clear. And now he needs her help.

So Ilse makes the most dangerous decision of her life, and takes Levi in. Hiding him away in her tiny attic room, he must remain concealed or risk almost certain death. But as the war worsens, keeping Levi a secret becomes ever more difficult, even as their mutual affection grows. And when a local German soldier becomes obsessed with Ilse, they fear their time – and luck – has run out…

London, present day. When Anna’s father dies, he leaves her a ticket to Amsterdam, a bent silver sixpence on a delicate silver chain, and a note begging her to complete the journey he was never able to. To the town where he was born, to find out once and for all who his parents were, and to discover their wartime fate.

Based on the author’s incredible family history, a totally devastating and ultimately uplifting story about a girl who risked everything, including her life, to save the man she loved. Heart-breaking and timely, this powerful tale will be loved by fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and Fiona Valpy.



Author Bio:

Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother's own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.

Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.

Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon's most-read book lists.

Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.

Imogen's third WW2 novel, The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell - the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.

Imogen's WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.

Learn more about Imogen's story in this video: https://youtu.be/2YO0IWJSjj0

www.imogenmatthewsbooks.com

Facebook: @theHiddenVillagenovel

Twitter: @ImogenMatthews3


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