The Girl from the Hermitage : A Historical Novel of War, Secrets and the Fall of the Soviet Union

Galina survived the Siege of Leningrad. Now, in post-Soviet St Petersburg, she must confront the beliefs that shaped her life.

‘A beautifully written book that takes you right into the characters’ world’ – Lucinda HawksleySHORTLISTED for the Impress PrizeLONGLISTED for the Bath Novel and Grindstone Novel awardsIn 1941, eight-year-old Galina starves in the Siege of Leningrad while her father, Mikhail, protects the priceless treasures of the Hermitage. Its frozen cellars offer shelter from the bombs – but safety comes at a price. Tasked with painting a powerful colonel’s portrait, Mikhail realizes that one wrong brushstroke could cost far more than his reputation. Thirty years later, Galina is an art teacher in Leningrad. In the aftermath of a family friend’s death, she uncovers a long-buried secret from her past – one that forces her to question the loyalties and silences that shaped her Soviet childhood. As the Soviet Union collapses and a glittering new Russia rises in its place, Galina must decide what she is willing to carry forward – and what she must finally leave behind.