Will by Jeroen Olyslaegers📖

Summary of Will

In the novel “Will”, Wilfried (nicknamed “Will”) recounts his experiences in German-occupied Antwerp during the Second World War. As a new recruit to the local police force, Will initially assists the Germans in arresting ‘work dodgers’, but his collaboration gradually intensifies. At one point, the Antwerp police carry out a raid on the city’s Jewish population, rounding up entire families, with Will simply following his orders. At the same time, he also helps a Jewish diamond dealer hide from the Germans. The question is: what drives him? At least part of Will’s motivation appears to be a desire to ingratiate himself with his girlfriend’s family, who are active in the resistance.

Reasons to read Will

Unlike many other WWII novels, “Will” is not written from the perspective of either a war victim or a committed Nazi. Instead, the novel describes the wartime reality of a man caught in the middle, someone who bends himself out of self-preservation. One of Will’s flaws is that he tries to evade making choices – which makes his name somewhat ironic – and stay on everyone’s side. “Will” is a gripping and unsettling novel that makes readers wonder what choices they might make under extreme pressure. Jeroen Olyslaegers is a celebrated Flemish author. His novel “Will” became a bestseller in Belgium and The Netherlands and won the Fintro Literature Prize, the Confituur Bookshop Prize, and the Bordewijk Prize. The book was adapted into a Dutch-language film in 2023.

Setting: Antwerp (Belgium)

Original title: Wil

Year of publication: 2016

Nr of pages: 352