And the literary juries followed suit: in 2012, the book was nominated for the Catholic children’s book prize, the ‘Buxtehuder Bulle’ and twice for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (by the panel of reviewers and by the young readers’ jury). In het Vlaamse dorp van Ward valt er tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog bij een aanslag op verzetsleden een dode. I was delighted that the reviewers and German readers were also unanimous in their enthusiasm. Voor de jongens een gedroomde kans om held te worden. Els Beerten succeeds with a unique skill in showing how thin the line between good and evil is and how war irreparably destroys people’s lives and happiness.įischer published ‘Als gäbe es einen Himmel’, the German translation of ‘We All Want Heaven’, in 2011. De Duitsers lijden er grote verliezen en hebben dringend dappere jongemannen nodig om hen bij te staan. I doubted, loved and suffered along with them. I was particularly fascinated by the fact that I could follow and understand the behaviour of all the characters, even when I didn’t agree with them. But then the war begins, forcing them to make self-destructive decisions. Jef, Ward and Renée are young people who – just like everyone else at that age – are looking for love, recognition and for their place in life. The novel is engraved in my memory, I have become very fond of the characters, and I shall never forget them. ‘‘We All Want Heaven’ is a gripping masterpiece.
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