Nearly five decades had passed since the end of World War II, and Europe was still, in one way or another, reeling from the shock of that war and its aftermath. There was a consensus that Germany and its people bore the moral weight and responsibility for the war's outcomes. Germany assumed this role, especially since it was the defeated party, while the rest of Europe formulated its own narrative, appearing as innocent of this catastrophe as a wolf is of Joseph's blood. This agreed-upon formulation may be unique in history, where wars have always been told from at least two perspectives. In such an atmosphere of moral and historical consensus, "The Twins" came as a boon to the European narrative. Tessa de Low's novel makes room to depict the circumstances in which Nazism rose and Hitler took center stage in German politics, as well as the effects of that era and the war on German society. Tessa de Lowe told her story with a high moral sense and a critical outlook that steered clear of any favoritism. She dared to stand by the constants: to see your enemy from a different angle, other than the angle that every channel sought to impose on those who wanted to look at the past. The publication of the novel provoked violent reactions from reviewers and critics in her country, and some accused her of betraying her homeland, as she allowed the Germans—the enemy who occupied the Netherlands, humiliated its people, and exterminated the Jews—a space to make their voices and suffering heard, and to appear as a victim of Nazism as well.