Girl from the Hermitage

‘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.