Review: The Dutch Orphan

I enjoyed Ellen Keith’s debut novel, The Dutch Wife, back in 2018 when I read it. I even got to meet her and hear how her first book came to be. Always inspiring to hear from debut authors! I didn’t love the book but I liked it enough that I knew I’d read the Canadian author’s next novel, whenever it came. That moment is finally now as The Dutch Orphan is out in the world today. I read it a few weeks ago though… “read” might be a bit of a stretch. I skimmed. I wanted to know the ending and how Keith wrapped up things for her characters but I didn’t really care. And that made me so sad!

Here’s the book’s description:

Amsterdam, 1941. When the Nazis invade Amsterdam, singer Johanna Vos watches in horror as her Jewish friends are forbidden from performing with her onstage, and the vibrant music scene she loves is all but erased. Johanna helps organize the Artists' Resistance, an underground network that arranges for Jewish musicians to perform at house concerts hosted by their allies. When Johanna is told about a Jewish orphan who is headed for deportation, she does not think twice: she takes the baby in as her own, hiding the truth from everyone, including her sister, Liesbeth.
Meanwhile, Liesbeth de Wit finds herself torn between her sister and her failing marriage. She knows Johanna is an ally of the Resistance, while her husband actively supports the Dutch Fascist Party. As the sisters navigate the ongoing Nazi occupation, they find themselves growing further and further apart. And when another charming member of the Dutch Fascist Party sets his eyes on Liesbeth, her predicament only deepens.
As the war unfolds, secrets continue to grow between the sisters, severing their once-unbreakable bond. Eventually, both women are forced to make a choice that will alter their lives forever: the choice between family and freedom.

I think my ultimate problem with this novel was the characters. I couldn’t understand their motivations, not really. And, sure, a part of that is I literally cannot imagine what it would be like to have my city become occupied by Nazi soldiers. I recognize that. But Keith still should have been able to make me see why they were acting in certain ways. Johanna, for example, seemed like a really smart woman but she acted like an absolute idiot on a number of occasions in the novel that put herself and others in danger. Liesbeth, on the other hand, had absolutely no spine until suddenly she did? Maybe I missed the growing of the spine because I had really started skimming by that point but the plot points in the novel at that spot didn’t quite seem like enough to make her change. I also couldn’t forgive her for something she did and I don’t know how other characters would be able to either.

I knew that Keith had a connection to the resistance in the Netherlands because of the event I went to after the release of The Dutch Wife (recap here). She also wrote a good part (if not all) of The Dutch Orphan while living in Amsterdam, which is where the book is set. I appreciate that kind of connection to the story and I really feel like that came through in the heart of the story. And it was that heart that had me finish the book.

What Keith’s novel does well is really hit home what it was like to live in Amsterdam specifically, and the Netherlands generally, during World War II. For some reason, I always forget that they were occupied by the Nazis beginning in May 1940. So, I appreciate that reminder of history and the examples of how everyday Dutch residents worked to protect their Jewish neighbours and undermine the soldiers’ orders. I had the feeling that I was there right alongside Jo and Lies, which, to be honest, was really hard sometimes. The suffering was intense and I was thankful for my own life circumstances as I read it.

All in all, The Dutch Orphan was an interesting historical fiction read with a lot of heart. I didn’t love Ellen Keith’s sophomore novel but I’m still willing to give her another chance whenever she publishes a third. I think if you really like learning about World War II history, especially the parts that we don’t always learn about in Canada (even though Canadians played a role in liberating the Netherlands), you should still pick up a copy of this one from your local library.

Content warnings: miscarriage/stillbirth, pregnancy, infertility, war, prison camps, murder, infidelity, suicide

*An egalley of this novel was provided by HarperCollins Canada via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

HarperCollins Meet and Greet: Joanna Goodman and Ellen Keith

Last month I had the chance to attend a meet and greet event at the new HarperCollins Canada offices in downtown Toronto. I live outside of the city so I can't often make it in to evening events on a weekday. However, I have a new job and we have a Toronto office so I made plans to work there for the day so I could walk a few blocks over to the event after work. Win all around!

I was excited for the event for all sorts of reasons. One was that I hadn't seen the new HarperCollins offices yet. A few fellow YA bloggers had been to a Frenzy event and I was a bit envious of the views they had. I settled myself into a window seat at the event, not really thinking about my fear of heights. Probably not the wisest decision as this was the view:

Pretty incredible though, right? I just kept telling myself not to look all the way down (after I had snapped this shot, of course) which was easier said than done as the windows were floor to ceiling. Amazing but a bit fear inducing for me!

The authors being featured at this event (which took place on May 2) were Joanna Goodman and Ellen Keith. Both women had recently published historical fiction novels. Joanna's, The Home for Unwanted Girls, released on April 17th and Ellen's, The Dutch Wife, on April 24th. The books were new but I had read both for Niagara Life, a magazine I review for. I really enjoyed both of them so I jumped at the chance to hear them speak and get signed copies of both books.

Check out the synopsis of each book on Goodreads:
The Home for Unwanted Girls
The Dutch Wife

I wasn't the only one who enjoyed these books either. Both women debuted on The Globe and Mail bestseller lists. Joanna at number 1 the week her book came out and Ellen, a week later, at number 2. How amazing is that?

I believe this is actually as Kaiti announced Ellen debuting on
the bestseller list. I love seeing how happy Joanna is for her.

One of the best things I learned from the talk was that both women fell down a bit of a research rabbit hole while working on their books. Joanna knew she wanted to tell a story of a woman giving up her baby in 1950s Quebec and Ellen wanted to give a Nazi a chance to tell their perspective of WWII. Ellen had done some traveling in Germany and wondered how they were being taught the history of the war compared to what we may be told over here in North America. Both women's vague ideas were made so much richer by the research they found. Joanna's research led her to Duplessis Orphans (check out Wikipedia for a brief overview). Ellen learned about what happened in Argentina during the Dirty War plus about the brothels at prison and labour camps during WWII.

Joanna said that she'd been working on this book for "half her life" and found it very difficult to find first-hand accounts of the orphans. She said it wasn't surprising because the children would not have received a formal education so their literacy would be limited. She did find one instance where a child had put together her story and talked to a journalist who, in turn, published an article. Joanna said that it was so helpful finding that book because it confirmed the perspective she had of the orphans.

Ellen answering a question either from Kaiti (right) or the audience.

The women were asked if there was a pressure to tell their historical stories "correctly" and they both responded with a strong yes. Ellen said she was terrified that someone would come and tell her that she got it all wrong. Joanna agreed. Joanna was less concerned with the factual errors or inconsistencies than with the emotional ones. She just didn't know exactly how the orphans would have felt. Ellen has a history degree and found herself getting too focused on getting every little detail right and she didn't know how to handle the gaps in the research. In the end she learned that the novel should be more about the heart and essence of what you're trying to communicate than cold, hard facts.

The authors also went into more detail on how, exactly, the first seeds of their story were planted. Joanna's novel was kind of her mother's story and Maggie was written almost entirely as her mother (apart from the giving up a baby part of the novel). It was bittersweet for Joanna as her mom passed away before the book was published. Ellen wanted to write an homage to her grandparents who lived in the Netherlands during the war. While Marijka is spunky just like Ellen's grandmother was, Ellen's heroine is not really based on anyone in particular.

As is inevitable at events such as this, someone asked what advice the women would give to aspiring authors. Ellen said to never, ever give up. She also suggests finding other people who love reading and writing and have them read your work. That really helped keep her going. Joanna absolutely agreed and added that you need to have a thick skin as you'll have to learn to ignore every rejection. She also said that writing workshops have been the best thing for her career. Both women shared stories that showed how finding people you trust can be the best thing for your writing as they have more distance from the work itself and can sometimes provide a better perspective.

The authors graciously signed all of our copies.

It was a wonderful evening and I'm very thankful HarperCollins Canada allowed me to take part in the event. We all got a copy of each book and had the chance to have them signed by Ellen and Joanna. It was nice to have a quick moment to chat with each other where I could tell them I really enjoyed their novels. Joanna also let me know, once she learned where I was from, that she should have a couple of events in Niagara in the fall so I'm looking forward to that!

Two more signed books to add to my collection.