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.
 
In December 1941, eight-year-old Galina survives on wallpaper paste soup while her father, Mikhail, protects the priceless treasures of the Hermitage Museum during the brutal siege of Leningrad. Beneath the museum’s frozen cellars, art offers refuge from the bombs — but safety comes at a price. When Mikhail is commissioned to paint the portrait of a powerful Soviet colonel, one mistake could prove fatal.
 
Decades later, as the Soviet Union begins to collapse, Galina uncovers a long-buried secret that forces her to question the loyalties, silences and sacrifices that shaped her childhood.
 
Set against the final years of the Soviet Union, The Girl from the Hermitage is a sweeping historical novel about survival, memory and the cost of silence.
 
Paperback: 288 pages