Reviewed by Emma Crowley
1942, Amsterdam. The Nazi occupation has shattered the lives of inseparable best friends Hannie and Sonja. The canals and rainy cobbled streets they once strolled down are now patrolled by soldiers day and night, who arrest people at will and beat those who resist.
Hannie can’t stand by and watch the lives of the innocent be destroyed by the evil occupiers. At great danger to herself, she joins the underground resistance, where she meets the charming and mysterious Jan. She covers her bright red hair to avoid detection by the Nazis while distributing fake IDs. And she makes a promise to Sonja and her little sister Maya, who are Jewish – she will hide them and keep them safe, no matter the cost.
But as the German grip on the country tightens with each passing day, Sonja’s worst fears come true when members of her family are taken prisoner. With Jan by her side, Hannie goes undercover as a nurse to try to free them. But she’s devastated when she discovers they’ve been taken to a concentration camp in the isolated far east of the country. Is she too late to save them?
And when Sonja goes missing, Hannie is terrified the worst has happened – has someone betrayed her best friend? Hannie knows her most dangerous task is now ahead of her. Can Hannie save Sonja, and will she have to make the biggest sacrifice of all to bring her home?
Book Challenge: #24in24 24 countries in 2024: Book Six - Holland
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Girl With The Red Hair to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Girl with the Red Hair is the second in The Dutch Girls Trilogy by Imogen Matthews and I have to say it is the best book that I have read by this author so far. Previous books I have found at times to be slow going with not much occurring. Instead here, I found the writing much tighter and to the point and this book was very well plotted and executed. The female protagonist Hannie is a strong, courageous and stalwart character who is an incredible symbol of the Dutch Resistance at the time of World War Two. I was surprised to discover that she was in fact a real person and as the author said in her end notes she is not that widely known outside of the Netherlands but here Imogen Matthews has certainly given her a voice. She is a character that will live long in your mind once you have finished reading for her accomplishments and daring deeds at a time when her country was experiencing great suffering under the hands of the Nazi’s and especially the Jewish population which she has a strong connection to through her best friend Sonja.
The book opens with a brief prologue which sets the tone for the remainder of the novel and has your mind racing with many questions. I presumed the events of said prologue would feature again towards the end of the book but instead it resurfaces around the halfway point which in turn sets Hannie on a different and exciting trajectory. Hannie is studying law with Sonja in Amsterdam in 1940 but there is a fear that the Germans will invade and this soon comes to fruition. Life is suddenly changed for everyone and persecution, especially of Jews, runs rampant with Sonja being a target because of her faith. But Sonja believes in living life to the full and continues with her studies despite Jews being pushed out of their jobs and homes and being rounded up for no reason other than the Germans want rid of them.
Hannie lives in a constant state of peril that something will happen to Sonja and she does her best to prevent this. She is the most loyal friend that one could have. Anxiety, menace and strain are the predominant feelings throughout the book and they increase with every turn of the page. Everyone is in danger and in my mind Sonja put herself in danger and directly in the firing line time and time again and unnecessarily. Hannie did her best to protect her, finding her places to hide where she must stay indoors, and Sonja’s sister Maya has to do the same. In my opinion, Sonja was such a frustrating character in that she never heeded advice even though it was for her own good and safety. She is selfish in that she never listens to people who are doing the best to protect her from the worst fate that could befall her and she is putting her helpers in danger too. I questioned at times how Hannie could stand by someone who goes against the grain in a bad way and does everything that she shouldn’t but I suppose it did highlight the deep friendship and bond that they had.
At the halfway point, there are certainly very dramatic events which turns the story on its head and once the reader comes up for a brief gulp of air they plunge once again into the story and off it goes into a new and exciting direction. I was a bit perturbed by this initially as I thought ah no that cant happen and I am only halfway through the book but several chapters into the second half I realised the plot needed this and it allowed for a connection back to the first book, The Girl from the Resistance. I loved when old familiar characters were introduced as to often with books in a series there can just be the merest connections between the books and they can’t really be classed as series at all but here it was different. I loved getting to know Trudi, Freddie and Frans again and I thought the later half of the story was even better than the first.
Every small act of kindness is worthwhile and Hannie certainly takes these words to heart. She moves in with a group who are carrying out resistance work in Amsterdam whilst continuing her studies and there she meets Jan. There is a connection between the pair which does grow but there are challenging times ahead for them and so many others. Hannie finds that despite the attention her red hair attracts that she is good at resistance work and it becomes like a drug to her in that she needs to get involved more and more. She is the epitome of a resistance woman, a fighter who is determined, brave, courageous and ferociously anti fascist. She is a go getter and extremely pro-active, never resting and getting deeply involved in the most dangerous of tasks alongside Trudi when she moves away from Amsterdam to Haarlem. As she felt so stifled by her over protective parents I think she did rebel a bit in getting so involved with the resistance movement but even if this had not been the case everything she saw and witnessed and the humiliation and suffering endured by the Jews I think would have spurred her on to do as much as she could with the Resistance anyway.
As I raced towards the finale, the chapters just seemed to fly by as they were so many action packed and nail biting dramatic and heart-breaking events occurring. Someone is in danger and needs the help of Hannie and Jan but through taking an active stand against the Germans Hannie has become caught up in dangers and situations she never thought possible. My heart was in my mouth as the pair raced to try and prevent more angst and horror occurring. I questioned whether they would be successful at all? The Girl With The Red Hair was a terrific read and I feel Imogen Matthews is really coming into her own and finding a strong voice with her books. Hannie’s bravery and her actions are outstanding making her a character who is unforgettable. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series to see what other incredible Dutch women we will be introduced to.
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