Book Review: The Hiding Place

A review of a memoir that's become a modern-day classic

“Hmm,” you’re probably thinking right now, “why is The Bookery releasing a review on The Hiding Place when the book has been out since the early ’70s?” 

It’s because I was really, really late in reading this one. While most women my age who grew up in Christian circles probably read it as young adults, I somehow didn’t. I’d always heard a lot about it, read about the book and Corrie Ten Boom’s experience, but I’d never actually sat down and read the book until this past summer. 

I’m a sucker for library book sales, and there’s a nearby library whose quarterly sales I frequent. Somewhere along the line, I’d picked up a paperback copy of The Hiding Place and in an attempt to pare down my downstairs TBR pile (yep, there’s more than one) I picked it up and started reading. 

I didn’t expect it to captivate me the way it did. I’ve read a lot of World War II era fiction, including many novels set inside Nazi concentration camps. But the experience of Corrie and her sister, Betsie, overwhelmed me. After I finished reading it, I remember crying, then telling everyone in my circle that they should read it. (Most assured me they already had.) 

One of the things I like most about the book was its tone and feel. The Hiding Place feels like sitting down with Corrie ten Boom and chatting about her life. She gives you a clear sense of the happy life she and her family enjoyed before the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, the hardships they soon faced, and the devastating horrors of Nazi concentration camps. Yet through all the darkness, a light shines as even in the darkest moments, Corrie and Betsie shine with the light of Christ. (And Corrie would probably say that was Betsie more than her.) 

Corrie, Betsie, and their father, Casper, were rounded up in a raid after Nazi officials determined the family was hiding Jewish refugees in their home. Casper, though in his 80s, was sent to prison since he declared that he’d help the first person who asked if they released him. Corrie and Betsie go first to a Dutch prison, then a Dutch work camp for political prisoners in the Netherlands, and finally, in the final days of the Nazi regime, to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp in Germany. In every camp, the sisters use their smuggled, hidden Bible to share their hope with others. 

In a world that feels a little dark a lot of the time, The Hiding Place made me feel hopeful. Yes, the subject matter is hard and what Corrie endured was terrible. The loss of loved ones, the lice (Betsie even praises God for the lice, something Corrie can’t quite get on board with), the uncertainty and terrible conditions and treatment—even through it all, Betsie focuses on the goodness of God, knowing in the darkest night he does not leave, while Corrie honestly says this was sometimes hard for her. It’s that honesty—and the faith that won’t let go—that captivated me. 

The Bookery Rating: 📙📙📙📙📙

The Hiding Place—whether it’s your first time to read it or your 100th—is well worth your time! 

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