When Anika Molnar flees her home country of Hungary, not long before the break up of the Soviet Union, she carries only a small suitcase – and a beautiful and much loved painting of an auburn haired woman in a cobalt blue dress from her family’s hidden collection.
Arriving in Australia, Anika moves in with her aunt in Sydney, and the painting hangs in pride of place in her bedroom. But one day, it is stolen in what appears to be a carefully planned theft, and Anika’s carefree life takes a more ominous turn.
Sinister secrets from her family’s past, and Hungary’s fraught history cast suspicion over the painting’s provenance, and she embarks on a gripping quest to uncover the truth.
Hungary’s war-torn past the contrasts sharply, with Australia’s bright new world of opportunity in this moving and compelling mystery.
Historical Fiction Post WW2
About The Author
Alison is the author of seven novels and has contributed short stories to international collections. Her debut novel, Stillwater Creek, was Highly Commended in the 2011 ACT Book of the Year Award, A Perfect Marriage was Highly Commended in the 2019 ACT Writing and Publishing Awards, and The Philosopher's Daughters was Highly Commended in the 2022 ACT Notables Awards.
Alison is an academic at the Australian National University and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
For more information visit her fiction website at: https://www.alisonbooth.net
