BARBED WIRE (2009) contains the reminiscences of Dirk Dijkstra, music editor of a leading Amsterdam newspaper. His memoirs are interspersed by excerpts from reviews and reports by witnesses and participants. The young Dijkstra grows up in a musical family and trains to be a cello player. After his parents are executed during the war, Dirk and his two older siblings continue to occupy the family home. While still at school, Dirk meets the violin prodigy Matthijs and the clairvoyant Max, both of whom become close friends. As we follow the experiences of Dirk's circle, the barbed wire of life's events crops up again and again, reflecting the intricate interactions of the book's main characters.