Resist

Although not a biography, this novel is inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn. When she moved from Britain to the Netherlands to live with her mother, Ella Van Heemstra, her Opa, and her Aunty Miesje, Audrey's name became Edda Van Heemstra. 15-year-old Edda volunteers at a local hospital washing bandages. She befriends Dr Hendrik Visser ’t Hooft, an important member of the Resistance, who asks her to distribute Resistance newspapers to various addresses. She notices her mother’s name is listed in the newspaper as someone untrustworthy and starts to worry that her mother is a Nazi sympathiser. Edda also loves to dance. Although she is invited to participate in a secret Resistance fundraiser, her mother forbids it. Edda’s eldest brother Alex is currently in hiding because adult Dutch men are being abducted and sent to work in Germany as slave labourers. Her other brother, Ian, should have been safe from this. However, one day a German truck comes past and takes him. After this, Edda’s mother allows her to participate in a secret fundraiser. As secrets about her mother are revealed and the war worsens, Edda and her family are forced to navigate trials they never expected. A historical fiction novel set in the Netherlands between 1943 and 1945.