Hidden

Her heart died in the war – can she breathe new life into it? Dora Simon and Joe O’Cleary live in separate countries, accepting of their twilight years. But their monochrome worlds are abruptly upended by the arrival of Barbara Hummel, who is determined to identify the mysterious woman whose photograph she has found among her mother’s possessions. Forced to confront a time they thought buried in the past, Dora and Joe’s lives unravel – and entwine. For, trapped on the Channel Islands under the German occupation in the Second World War, Dora, a Jewish refugee, had concealed her identity; while Joe, a Catholic priest, kept quite another secret... This is a story of love and betrayal, shame and survival. But can a speck of light diffuse the darkest shadows of war?

‘A powerful and raw, elegantly written, character piece dealing with inhumanity and endurance, firmly grounded in real events.’, ‘Recent novels such as The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society have taken the occupation as their subject, but none so potently as Mary Chamberlain’s The Hidden… As Chamberlain’s narrative moves between past and present…the realities of life under a ruthless occupying power are slowly, skilfully revealed.’  , ‘A heart-breaking yet hope-filled tale.’, 'A powerful story, well told.', 'Set against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands, The Hidden is a powerful, heart-wrenching story of deception and guilt, love and loss; I was completely engrossed, seduced by its strong characters and atmosphere, and intrigued by the mystery at the heart of the novel.'

Mary Chamberlain is a novelist and historian. Her debut novel, The Dressmaker of Dachau, was published in 18 countries. She is the author of non-fiction books on women’s history and Caribbean history, including Fenwomen, the first book published by Virago Press. She lives in London with her husband, the political theorist Stein Ringen.