Point of View

The story is recounted in the third person, but from the perspective of the young nine-year-old Thomas Klopper. Due to his youth, Thomas doesn't initially understand that his Father's behavior is aberrant until he meets sympathetic outsiders like Mrs. van Amersfoort. As the book progresses, a series of events transpire that provide Thomas with the confidence and support he needs to protect his mother and change the family's destiny.

Setting

The setting is Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1951, just six years after Germany surrendered at the end of World War II and withdrew its troops from the Netherlands. Memories of the war are still fresh, and Thomas learns that Mrs. van Amersfoort's husband was executed by the Nazis for being a member of the Dutch Resistance. For his part, Father calls Mrs. van Amersfoort "a Communist." At one point in the book, Thomas watches as one of...