Chapter Two (Geertrui) Summary

Nineteen-year-old Geertrui is the second protagonist of the novel, but her narration takes place in 1944, during the final months of the Second World War. On the morning of Sunday, September 17, 1944, Geertrui wakes to see parachutes falling from the sky like confetti. She knows the allied soldiers are arriving and that they will push the Germans out of the city. It is liberation, and the city is ecstatic. Geertrui and her father had spent the last four years listening to English radio, practicing their new language. Outside the window that morning, Gerrtrui hears an English soldier say that he is thirsty. Despite the fact that there is still fighting on the streets, she rushes to draw a pitcher of water. She throws open the front door and hands over the water. There are three British soldiers outside who regard Geertrui...