The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Jewish Sisters’ Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory
Writer Roxane van Iperen lives near Naarden in the Netherlands, in a house called the High Nest which served as a Jewish safe house during World War II. In The Sisters of Auschwitz she meticulously recounts the story of two women who lived there during the war, Janny and Lien Brilleslijper.
Although non-fiction, Janny and Lien’s story—written in the first person and spanning their early lives, through the Nazi occupation, their time in the High Nest and subsequent betrayal—has all the drama and immediacy of a novel. Lien, a dancer, falls in love with a German musician forced to adopt a fake identity to avoid conscription to the German army. Janny, a communist, is active in the resistance, and she and her husband devote themselves to the cause, passing messages, stealing identity cards and rescuing as many people as they can.
Details vividly bring home the reality of the danger they faced. At the High Nest, the sisters’ brother Jaap builds hiding places all around the house, and installs an alarm system of lights to hide the family and the fugitives they shelter. Just like a fire drill, everyone practices hiding in the event of an emergency. Day-to-day practicalities, such as the sisters buying food in multiple locations so that they don’t arouse suspicion, are balanced with a wealth of factual information about the vast numbers of people being deported from the Netherlands and taken on trains to Nazi concentration camps. And when the High Nest is discovered and Janny and Lien are taken to Auschwitz, they befriend another pair of Dutch sisters: Margot and Anne Frank, adding a fascinating dimension to their story.
Moving and engaging, The Sisters of Auschwitz brings the terrible reality of life for Jewish people during World War II into clear focus. Highly recommended.
