A E Gordanier

Family Love and Betrayal A E Gordanier

Family Love and Betrayal is set in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Helga is a young Dutch woman who can speak many languages including Yiddish. She is forced by the Nazis to work at the Amsterdam Central Registry. All Dutch residents, excluding refugees, must register their personal information including name, ethnicity, and religion on census cards for each family member. These cards must be updated with any changes in their lives: this is mandatory as per the Nazis. The information on the census card is to be used as identification. In the registry is a sinister secret room where specially selected workers are housed. Helga desperately wants to work in that room. Her father is a doctor and her mother is a high-end dressmaker. Helga is befriended by one of her father's colleagues. There is danger lurking as friends and colleagues want to join one of their resistance groups. Her best friend is a lesbian and must be aware of collaborators and roundups. Every day Helga witnesses Nazi atrocities. She has had enough before she compromises her morals and values and further.