Brutal and disturbing. Much like the war, surprise surprise. This is one of those put-your-heart-through-the-wringer books that's meaningful, but not at all enjoyable to read. Two aspects of it appealed to me: the fact that my grandmother lived through the Nazi occupation in Belgium and experienced this hardship (but to a much lesser degree), and the fact that this book aspires to celebrate unsung female heroes of the war. I also invariably appreciate my own comfortable life all the more after reading a book like this. But, man. I need to bathe myself in magical stories for quite a while after this one.