“The way Aukelien Weverling brings harrowing dilemmas to life is both beautiful and empathetic. […] A beautiful, uncompromising, and moving novel about making choices in frightening times. […] Weverling portrays the role of the mother with sensitivity and beauty, in such a way that the contrast between the misunderstood individual and the vast, hostile outside world becomes immense. […] Onder duizend vlaggen is about making choices—about how this world forces you in certain directions, and how in the end you must choose between what you love now and what you want to love in the future. Aukelien Weverling unfolds that dilemma with elegance.” Parool

“Rarely do you read fiction that confronts you so forcefully with reality as Weverling’s novel does. This is both frightening, but also fascinating, because this author wields a sharp pen that describes the impact of terrorist actions with unparalleled intensity. Seamlessly, Weverling weaves this into her novel. […] Her novel knocks you completely off your feet. […] Almost imperceptibly, the sympathy you feel for Frida Overveen gives way to a sense of doubt and irritation. At first you fully share in her fear and anger, but over time you notice that she abandons nuance in her judgment of the stupidity of people who are blind to the impending climate catastrophe. […] Under a Thousand Flags is beautifully composed and brimming with urgency. Weverling possesses an authentic and superb writing style, and her novel knocks you (even against your will) completely off your feet. Highly recommended.” Nederlands Dagblad

“Aukelien Weverling possesses the gift every writer envies: the ability to write incisive, precisely crafted novels that unite the personal with broader, universal themes. […] How do you prevent your son from becoming a terrorist? That arc of tension between the tender inner world of a loving mother on the one hand, and the constant threat from outside on the other, carries this book—always meticulously composed, as is typical of Weverling. […] Little by little, she releases her charge upon the intrigued reader, whom she does not spare. She describes in minute detail the chilling scenes wrought by terrorism. […] This important book leaves you cold about the world and warm with motherly love.” **** De Limburger

“I read Onder duizend vlaggen as a commentary on current times: a reflection on the coronavirus pandemic, extremism from all sides, and war. For me, it is a novel that arrives at exactly the right moment, because I think many people are trying to order their thoughts in a similar way—and are asking themselves what they can do, how they might contribute, or whether they should at all. Frida has done something. Something radical. The fact that Frida’s reasoning at times spins out of control, exaggerates, and slips, occasionally resonates in Weverling’s style as well, which strikes me as fitting. The descriptions of the gently flowing life on Avşa are pleasantly decelerating, and the great fear and love of the protective mother feel authentic. It is beautiful how Weverling expresses this with a reference to her earlier novels.” Tzum.nl

She was born at the beginning of this interwar period, I was born in the middle, and you at the end, for now we can see clearly that it will be an interwar period. Soon, though not yet.

Why does one person become radicalized while another does not?

In Beneath a Thousand Flags, young mother Frida Overveen struggles to find her way through a time in which society seems to be closing ranks. Muslim fundamentalism, the climate crisis, Black Lives Matter, a looming war, and a crumbling Europe all compete for her attention. In the isolation of the pandemic, the public discourse moves toward a historical tipping point, while she tries to keep her son safe from the growing shadows cast upon the world. But how do you keep a child safe in a world full of dangers that keep escalating? The less control she has over her time, the more firmly she clings to her beliefs.

Beneath a Thousand Flags is a disruptive novel written right on the pulse of its time about how love and fear can lead to radical ideas and increasingly extreme choices.