Book description
Jacob Todd is abroad on his own for the first time, visiting his
grandfather's grave at the annual commemoration of the Battle of
Arnhem in Amsterdam. There, he meets Geertrui, a terminally ill old
lady, who tells an extraordinary story of love and betrayal, which
completely overturns Jacob's view of himself and his country, and
leads him to question his place in the world. Jacob's story is
paralled in time by the events of the dramatic day in World War II
when retreating troops were sheltered by Geertrui's family.
An intensely moving and richly layered novel, spanning 50 years,
which powerfully evokes the atmosphere of war while brilliantly
interweaving Jacob's exploration of new relationships in contemporary Amsterdam.
Aidan Chambers lives in Gloucestershire with his American wife,
Nancy, who is the editor of Signal magazine. He divides his time between
his own writing and lecturing which he does extensively in Australia,
the USA and Europe. His provocative and challenging novels for teenagers
and young adults have won him international acclaim.
Postcards from
No-man's Land
is the fifth novel in what he perceives as a sequence; this starts with
Breaktime
, continues with
Dance on my Grave
, and carries on through
Now I Know
to
The Toll Bridge
.
This is All
completes the sequence. Each novel stands on its own exploring a
different aspect of contemporary adolescence.
