‘Our Narrow Hiding Places’: A Look into the Past, Present, and Future

This historical novel explores one woman’s survival during WWII, but her descendants may not have escaped the effects of her living through this time.

"Our Narrow Hiding Places," by Kristopher Jansma, is loosely based on his grandmother's experiences. Vito Grippi

With a book title like “Our Narrow Hiding Places” and a setting in Netherlands during World War II, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the story of Anne Frank, who hid in a very narrow house. Her story is the most popular one from the Low Countries, but it’s certainly not the only one. Kristopher Jansma’s novel, loosely based on his own grandmother’s story, is set during the Hunger Winter of 1944 to 1945 and presents the war from a Dutch civilian’s point of view.

We meet 8-year-old Mieke van Menke. Her country is at war, and her hometown along the Atlantic coast of the Netherlands becomes the Germans’ air field, where it’s a straight shot to England.