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Media site Kijk op Bergen op Zoom about: In the Shadow of
the Truth
December 2016
“In my life I have spoken to a lot of people who have experienced terrible things, during and after that period," says Franken. "Because we went on
holiday in Germany a lot, I also spoke to many people there. Especially in the countryside, where the suffering was sometimes very severe. Many
Germans were forced to work for the occupying forces by the army and those in power. They thought that was terrible. There have also been many
Dutch people who had to do this, under the fear of death or the threat that something would be done to their loved ones. What can you do?"
That side of the war has always been underexposed, says Sonn. People who came back were frowned upon because it was not recognized that they
were forced, just like Germans who really did not want to work for that regime but had to; they did not get much sympathy or understanding. He has
incorporated some of their stories into his war novel. “I wanted to do something about the one-sided image that was increasingly emerging. And I
want to keep the memory of that war alive. We must not forget that our current freedom and security are not so self-evident.”
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