Fall, Bomb, Fall by Gerrit Kouwenaar, brilliantly translated by Michele Hutchison is a fantastic coming of age novella which authentically captures the feelings and mood bored 17 year old Karel preparing for his school holidays on the cusp of the Nazi occupation in World War II.

Karel is a teenager and still growing and developing, as is his understanding of the world around him. Karel’s thoughts and actions felt very authentic. He hears his parents and people in his town talk of how the English will come and save the Dutch and the Germans will not invade. Karel prays for some drama and in a matter of days he falls in love with a young Jewish girl and bombs fall and Germany invades, whilst being a ‘go-between’ for his uncle delivering a letter.

It’s historical fiction inspired in part by Kouwenaar’s own experiences. The translation notes at the end of the book are well worth reading to discover which aspects of Fall, Bomb, Fall happened to Kowenaar. The notes also provide interesting information on Kowenaar’s life and literary legacy, which I found particularly interesting.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher’s Pushkin Press, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.