Daphe Geismar, author of Invisible Years

Because of the coronavirus, we have been restricted to living and working inside our homes. Confined and constrained, some are tempted to compare the coronavirus quarantine to Anne Frank hiding in an attic for years during World War II. But we have televisions, cell phones, plenty of food and the ability to go outside. No one is trying to kill anyone. No one is selecting you for death because of your religion. The virus is taking lives, but it’s not the Nazis; there is no evil here, only tragedy. Although incomparable, her story has particular resonance today. Daphe Geismar’s mother and father—separated from their families—went into hiding to escape a horrific regime in the German-occupied Netherlands. An extraordinary cache of letters and documents from their ordeal reveal experiences of isolation, fear and uncertainty. The world is wondering how long this isolation will last. Daphe tells us how they coped with their uncertainty.