What we have left

It’s April 1945. Here and there, portraits of the Führer still hang on the walls of the ruins of Berlin, but the swastika flags are beginning to fray, and the Russians are close by. Henrike, a seventeen-year-old girl, lives with her mother and a whole host of neighbours in the cellar of their building. They are trying to survive in what remains of their city. Her younger brother still believes in victory, but she lost that hope a long time ago. When the Russians humiliate the German population by raping women and the central character is left to that same fate by her mother, she decides to flee.

Through the eyes of a German girl, Aline Sax arrestingly describes the horrors of war. She does so in short, measured, rhythmical sentences that slow the reader down and increase the impact. In filmic images, a reality unfolds that stresses the moral ambiguity of war. This haunting novel in verse looks at human beings from every angle, as cruel, courageous, cowardly, hopeful, but above all resilient.

Awards

• Awarded with de Boon Literatuurprijs 2025 in the category children’s and youth books More info
• Awarded with Druk in Leuven Young Adult Juryprijs 2024
• Awarded with The White Ravens 2024 (YA internationaal)
• Awarded with the Bajes Boekenjuryprijs 2025
• Awarded with the 3rd prize of the ReadersJury in Flanders 2024-2025 (a jury composed of children)
• Nominated for the Kleine Cervantes 2025 (shortlist)
• Nominated for the Thea Beckmanprijs 2025 (shortlist)