Journey Through the Night
Journey Through the Night (orig. Dutch: Reis door de nacht) is a novel, originally in four volumes (1951–1958), by Dutch author Anne de Vries centering on the impact of the Second World War in the Netherlands on a Christian family. It was translated by Harry der Nederlanden in 1960.
The book is divided into 4 parts:
- Part one : Into the Darkness
- Part two : The Storm Rises (published in English under the title The Darkness Deepens)
- Part three : Morning Glory (published in English under the title Dawn's Early Light)
- Part four : The New Day (published in English under the title A New Day)
The main character is Jan (in the translation John) de Boer. He is the eldest son of the family. During World War 2, the 5 year German occupation, he gets involved in the Resistance.
The Storm Rises
Two years have passed. The family is getting used to the war. But father De Boer joins the Underground Resistance. Jan and his sister Guusje (in the translation Tricia) also get involved. At the end of the chapter a meeting of the Underground Resistance is thwarted by the Germans and the family must go underground. During the last chapter, Uncle Gerrit hides in the house from Germans while the rest of the family escape. He is forced to use the house's secret tunnel to escape from the Germans and he flees into the forest. The de Boer family house in destroyed by a German grenade and burns to the ground. The book finishes with the de Boer family hiding in a forest as the Germans destroy their house.
Morning Glory
After the Germans have destroyed the house of De Boer, Jan is in hiding. An old friend joins the Fight Force (Knok Ploeg (KP)). After his adventures in the FF the force is been betrayed and Jan must go into hiding again.