In Rolien and Ralien Mendels revisits her own youth. Rolien, the youngest of three sisters, is not taken seriously by her siblings. She feels left out, making up her own playmate Ralien to keep her company, which subsequently comes to take over her life.

In December 1924, when Josepha Mendels begins her flight from occupied France via the Pyrenees, she carries the manuscript of Rolien and Ralien in her backpack. But her guide leaves her behind half-way through the journey, stealing her luggage. After a short period of imprisonment in Spain, she manages to flee to England. A copy of Rolien and Ralien reaches her in London, which she sends on to the critic Jan Greshoff for his opinion: “It is an outstanding book, that gets even better when reread. It is full of, literally filled to the brim, with the most exquisite discoveries. It is different in terms of style and approach to any other Dutch book about youth. And is so stunningly clever that I cannot believe this is a debut.” Greshoff not only used a chapter of the novel for an anthology of Dutch authors in exile, featuring Leo Vroman and Dola de Jong, but he recommended the novel to Querido where it was published in 1947. The press thought it was a “dangerous” book, but did praise its originality. Still today Rolien and Ralien is a fascinating coming-of-age novel in a surprisingly modern style.

'We should thank Mendels for her choice to leave all too schematic divisions between Rolien and Ralien out of the narrative  – it is beautiful how she lets them merge into one another instead. A lesser mind would have let organizing talent overrule the thoughts and feelings, a disease of our time, which doesn’t help the ambiguity of our (debut)novels. Mendels preferred to speak of her listenership, instead of her authorship. It shows: all of her scenes sound, like they are about to go on stage.' - NRC Handelsblad ****