Liefs van je Leen (loosely translated: ‘With love, your Leen’) is a Dutch-language historical romance novel written by Hilde Veeren. Published in 2025, the novel is based on the true story of Veeren’s grandparents.
Liefs van je Leen begins in 1939 on the island of Celebes in the colonial Dutch East Indies (now Sulawesi in Indonesia). Twenty-three-year-old Lena is about to travel alone for the first time to Ambon, where she will take up work in the local hospital. Lena plans to eventually return to Celebes, where her family and friends are, and become a nun, but fate has other ideas. Ambon is a Dutch stronghold and hosts troops of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army (Koninklijk Nederlandsch Indisch Leger, KNIL). Lena falls head over heels for one of the soldiers, a young man named Jan.
But 1939 is not a peaceful time in the Indies. There is growing unrest as the desire for Indonesian independence from the Netherlands increases, and World War II comes to the archipelago when Japan invades in early 1942. A soldier, Jan must stay to defend the Indies but Lena is a civilian and at the last moment she embarks onto a ship bound for Australia. Lena passes through multiple reception centres for refugees from the Indies until at last she hears that she will be sent to the Netherlands. This only raises more questions for Lena: will she ever see her Jan again? How will he know where she is?
Liefs van je Leen highlights the personal impacts of global events through the romance between Lena and Jan. The novel sheds light on the experiences of Dutch refugees during the war and their journey to and experiences in Australia, and offers insight into the intertwined histories of the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Australia.
About the author
Hilde Veeren has previously published the Cottage aan zee (Cottage by the sea) series, set in England. She works in the magazine industry and is editor in chief of magazines Elegance and Happy in Shape. She lives in Amsterdam.
