Synopsis

In Argentina during the sixties, two young people fall in love and plan to marry. But when their parents meet, Becky's blind father, a survivor of Auschwitz, recognizes the voice of Franz's father as that of a former Nazi. The ensuing war crimes trial in Israel tests the bond between Franz and Becky to the limit as they struggle to come to terms with the world their father made. Exploring the Holocaust's legacy and the controversial ethics of retribution, Allan Massie delivers a poignant love story and compelling drama.

What the Critics Say

'Has a sombre intelligence rare in current fiction...Allan Massie treats evanescent joys and enduring terrible questions with a patient art that begins to feel like life' -Lachlan Mackinnon in The Independent

'The ingenious and understated manner in which Massie treats the unforgotten and unforgiving makes this a tense and credible work' -Paul Golding in The Sunday Times

'An excellent novel' -A.N. Wilson in the Evening Standard