©1978, Paideia Press, Available from Inheritance Publications, 4 vols. in hardback

Talk about bad timing! The family of Everett DeBoer was moving into a new house when they learned that the Germans were invading Holland. This was the beginning of five years of German occupation of the country. The family had an immediate problem: some of their younger children were staying with relatives elsewhere in the country. They had to race to get their children in the midst of the ongoing warfare. Would they be able to safely reach their children and return home before encountering invading soldiers?

Their trip and its problems and providences deepened their strong faith in God’s sovereignty and daily care. It also drew their attention to the need of resisting the enemy.

As the author unfolds the story, the family slowly becomes involved in the Dutch resistance movement. This brings a new level of stress to the family members as well as their wrestling with some of life’s most puzzling questions. What is the price of freedom? Why does God allow evident evil to grow? Are prayers really answered? When is killing of humans allowed? Will God work all things out for good?

DeVries gives these family members and other characters different emotions and responses to the invasion. Some of the children act with childish foolishness. Some neighbors can be trusted. Others quickly jump to the German side. Misjudgments are sometimes made as characters speculate which side neighbors support. These and other human elements make the characters very believable and quickly draw the reader into the story.

As in life itself, there are narrow escapes and failed escapes. Some talk when captured and are tortured and others do not. Over time some family members want loved ones out of the increasingly risky resistance movement. How do those involved respond to this additional stress?

In the midst of the twists and turns of this story a number of things remain constant. The faith of the DeBoer family is real and grows. They realize anew that God does not have to give an answer to questions raised by His unfolding providence. They learn that God works on His timetable not that of His redeemed. In the midst of changing times God remains unchanged.

The overarching title comprises four separate books, which are Into the Darkness, The Darkness Deepens, Dawn’s Early Light, and A New Day.

DeVries does a commendable job of capturing the agony of living under the ongoing German occupation as well as the resilient spirit of a people who refused to be totally conquered. These volumes are written for teens and adults. The writing is of such good style that readers from a wide age span can enjoy the story as it unfolds.

©2009 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia