Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

Undoubtedly this book is being re-issued because of the popularity of the historically challenged book about the Franks that was released last year. So, if anything good came from that, this is it.

Wijk-Voskuijl is the son of Bep (Elli Vesson) from The Diary of Anne Frank, and his grandfather was the man who built the bookcase that hid the access to the Annex. One of Wijk-Voskuijl’s aunts worked for the Germans.

The part of the book that is going to get and has gotten the most attention is the possibility that one of Elli Vesson’s sister informed on the Franks. Wijk-Voskuijl and De Brunyn can’t really answer this question. There is simply no way to know. To simply say that the book is about this would be to do this work a severe injustice.

Part biography of Elli Vesson, part memoir, the book is about a woman, a family, and a nation coming to terms or trying to come to terms with what occurred during the Occupation of the Netherlands by the Germans during the Holocaust. This includes not just the large percentage of Dutch Jews that were murder (70%) but also the familial issues that are the result of the war.
While Vesson and her father aided the Franks, the rest of the family was kept by and large in the dark (or was supposed to be kept in the dark). The books co-authors do an excellent of detailing exactly how difficult and trying it was to get food for the Frank family as well as the stress that it must have laid on the helpers.

More importantly, Elli Vesson’s life after the war is detailed. The shadow of what happened to her friends hangs over her as does the war itself. This is compounded by the relationships that Vesson’s sister Nelly had with Germans, and one suspects the fear that Nelly betrayed the Franks.

It is important to note that Wijk-Voskuijl details the effect that his mother’s heroics have on his generation. There is the dynamic within the family, but also the impact on the next generation. When Wijk-Voskuijl meets and eventually marries his first wife, his parents are not supportive, largely because of his future mother-in-law’s perceived actions in wartime (she may have had relations with Nazis). IT is to the writers’s credit that they place themselves in the shows of people and examine the historical circumstances.

The idea of not knowing hangs over the book. The authors list the reasons why and why not Nelly might have been the one to betrayal the Franks, but there is no solid proof of guilt. There is the question of guilt because of the sister’s behavior during the war and the book chronicles how that unanswered question hangs in the air. And that is what this book is about - what comes after, how people go on.

Part analytical history, part biography, part autobiography, part psychology.

A decent look at the complexity of generational trauma through the lens of the Secret Annex and its aftermath, at least until the son/author gets to the part where it affects his own choices in early adulthood. Then, we lose the narrative thread to a stream of subjective thoughts and feelings. It's what comes from trying to analyze your own family's general trauma.

2.5 stars rounded down for 1) the overwhelmingly boomerish attitude displayed by the son/author and 2) claiming in the subtitle that there is a family betrayal, but never objectively drawing a conclusion based on available evidence.

2.5/5 ⭐️ – This book had a promising start but lost credibility as the story progressed. The first half was engaging, especially when exploring the historical aspects of the Holocaust, Anne Frank, and Bev's involvement. However, as the focus shifted to family dynamics, much of it seemed to rely on hearsay and gossip, which made the narrative feel less reliable.

While I appreciated learning about the aftermath and lesser-known details, discovering that the author, Bev’s son, wrote the book despite being estranged from her at the time of her passing left a sour taste. That context felt uncomfortable and overshadowed the story's intent.

This book caught my eye at the library and looked interesting. The story was good, but this wasn't my favorite book.