With the unrest in Hungary , Anika flees to Australia after her arrest at a demonstration. Her parents give her a painting to take with her that belonged to her late uncle as she is staying with his widow. After taking it to an art museum to be valued it mysteriously goes missing from her bedroom wall. She returns to Budapest for the holidays to find out more about the provenance of the painting but also discovers the horrors her family endured through the war. An engaging read with well designed characters.
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What a lovely, interesting and important read. I really enjoyed this book, the characters were believable though I didn't like all of them, I was wary of the three main male characters right until the end.
This story really transports you where you can picture the setting and put your self in that scene. There was enough background historical information to make sure you kept on top of the importance of the plot but it didn't drown the story. It is tricky to get the correct balance.
I really enjoy historical fiction and this didn't disappoint, I would happily recommend this book to friends and fellow book readers.
Congratulations to Alison, it's going to be a best seller.

After the flight from Hungary, which was then (1989) still iron curtain country, Anika Molnar lives in Australia with her aunt Tabilla. All that she brought from home was a little suitcase and a beautiful painting, the family heritage.
When she starts to inquire into the provenance and potential price of the painting, significant events happen with far-reaching consequences.

The novelist weaved a marvelous story about young woman and her quest for better life in the new continent, culture and language. For fresh start, she has to confront not only her past, but also the past of all her family.
Anika's struggle is thoroughly described and the reader feels for her and family members who survived WW2 and communist regime. The painting is the symbol of everything that people went through, all emotions, from love to hate and above all trust and hope.

Enthralling read.

I loved the painting by Alison Booth. Beautiful and mesmerizing and full of wonder and loss and love. I adored this book, and am writing this with a lump in my throat. The writing was exquisite. Fully recommend.

I love this creepy atmospheric thriller. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. This book is absolutely engrossing.

My goodness, how I enjoyed this enchanting book! Author Alison Booth writes gorgeous prose with a refreshing uniqueness, almost like a different language or spellbinding piece of music. Mostly set in 1989, the story takes readers into two different worlds, Hungary and Australia. In Eastern and Central Europe there is a lot of unrest and strife so Anika Molnar flees just before the Soviet Union split. She moves in with her aunt Tabilla in Australia and they have a very close relationship. Naturally, Anika misses her home and family so sometimes Tabilla creates delicious Hungarian dishes and they enjoy bits of Hungary together. Anika brought her most beloved possession with her from Hungary, a painting, but knows little about it. Still, she loves it and it is her piece of Hungary.

Household finances are strained and Anika takes her painting to experts to ask whether they knew who painted it and later tries to discover its worth, if anything, though the provenance is murky. Daniel and Jonno enter the picture but Anika is very cautious, borderline paranoid, due to her communist memories of Hungary. Trust is difficult for her. After her painting disappears, she and her aunt are understandably rattled, not only about the theft itself but feeling violated and wondered who would...and could...do such a thing. Anika's questions take her where she wouldn't expect as she discovers layer upon layer of secrets.

Not only was the mystery good but there is so much more to the book than that...it is about trust, loyalty, love and hope. I am enamoured with Eastern and Central Europe so feel a connection that way but even if I hadn't, this would be a book I would adore. It firmly fits into the 5 star category as it is individual with cultural details and history and has that something special about it which elevates it. Due to its wide appeal, I recommend it to General Fiction, Mystery and Thriller and Women's Fiction readers.

My sincere thank you to RedDoor Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this amazing, amazing gem of a book! What a treat.