It is 1941,and Antwerp is in the grip of Nazi occupation. Young policeman Wilfried Wils has no intention of being a hero - but war has a way of catching up with people.When his idealistic best friend draws him into the growing resistance movement,and an SS commander tries to force him into collaborating,Wilfried's loyalties become horribly,fatally torn. As the beatings,destruction and round-ups intensify across the city,he is forced into an act that will have consequences he could never have imagined.A searing portrayal of a man trying to survive amid the treachery,compromises and moral darkness of occupation,Will asks what any of us would risk to fight evil.
MEDIA REVIEWS
Publisher: Pushkin PressISBN: 9781782274254Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
A brilliant,uncomfortable exploration of the moral compromises necessary to live alongside evilI loved this book. Will is a vivid,complex,and captivating novel about the grubby moral compromises of life under occupationA masterful book,a gripping epic,necessary and gorgeously writtenConstantly grapples with what the ordinary man might do when faced with a horror so huge that to resist might threaten his very survival. Olyslaegers bravely explores moral compromise,betrayal and collaboration - and throws our polarised times into sharp reliefA vital and endlessly frightening question: under the cosh of an occupier,who among us would actually risk our lives or livelihoods for the sake of principle,or a fellow citizen... It is Will's inner darkness that drives this book,and it lends a ferocious energy to the narration... Olyslaegers seems intent on pulling the scales from our eyesWill is suited to a time when people can remain apolitical only by hiding from politicsA violently atmospheric novel... asks the big,implicating questions about the shadowy terrain of appeasementA dark story of the dangers of herd mentalityWhat moral boundaries would you be willing to cross Nobody knows,until they've been in such extreme situations themselves. Jeroen Olyslaegers is never judgmental,but he makes a terrifying judgement: this happened once and this could happen again... More than a meeting with history,this is a meeting with ourselvesCaptivating... addictive reading,and offering a new perspective on a period of history whose disasters still sadly echo in our day and ageA lyrical meditation on guilt and evilA gripping panorama which moves the reader from tears to laughter,one minute turning the pages avidly,the next filled with dread... Disturbing and provocativeWhat do you do if evil invades your city... Olyslaegers,a Flemish author whose grandfather was a Nazi collaborator,is masterly in probing the moral quandaries of collaboration. This is historical fiction at its best: provocative,uncomfortable and illuminatingA brilliant,morally complex creation... in a fine translation... and is a compelling readA book that manages to cause this degree of disquiet is a classicI couldn't recommend Will more highly,and I suspect we might hear quite a bit more from OlyslaegersAn important and confrontational book in which the past continues to resonate with the present,in a style sharp as a razorA book that asks many questions,plunging us into the streets of Nazi-occupied Antwerp and resonating with the present dayA book like a slap in the faceA truly epic storyThis powerful novel proves that,despite the overwhelming amount of war literature available,valuable additions are still possibleCaptivatingAmong the ocean of novels written about the Nazi occupation,Will stands out for its force and singularity... A majestic style,blending the colloquial with the lyricalThis inventive author grabbed me with his bold,appealing images and furiously paced scenesIntroduces an original,fresh perspective on a period that seems to have been written to deathWill's earthy yet lyrical language is masterly. Jeroen Olyslaegers's best novelA solid blow to your fiercely beating reader's heart. Pass the word: read Jeroen OlyslaegersWithout doubt one of the year's best Flemish novels
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