‘Harvest is a carefully written, atmospheric book, in which Volders contrasts a harsh universe with moments of boyish friendship and motherly tenderness.’ – De Morgen

‘Harvest is a subtle story in which the personal life of a militant woman is described against the complex social background of migration.’ – **** (4/5) Het Nieuwsblad

‘In Harvest, Sien Volders shows with a great sense of language and humanity how love can light up in all its facets and torment a person.’ – Saskia de Coster, author of a.o. Eeuwige roem (2006), Wij en ik (2013), Nachtouders (2019)

Alina travels with her son Lucian from her birthplace in Romania to Sicily to work on a tomato farm. They wind up at a deserted plantation. As Alina struggles to build a life for herself and her son, Lucian meets two other eleven-year-old boys: Paolo and Anwar. During their year of friendship, the three boys fight with each other, for each other, and against the world. Until it passes them by.

Harvest is a story about resilience. About the strength and fragility of the bond between a mother and a son against the backdrop of a battle for a dignified existence at the underbelly of economic reality. An ode to the vigour and vulnerability of a boys’ friendship on the edge of adolescence.