WWII. Channel Islands. A murky past that won’t stay hidden forever…
Dora, Joe and Geoffrey are living out their retirement comfortably when their worlds are shattered by the arrival of Barbara Hummel, a young German anxious to track down the identity of a mysterious woman whose photograph she finds amongst her mother’s possessions.
As the truth of what happened under the occupation begins to be revealed, the lives of Dora, a Jewish refugee, and Joe, a Catholic priest, start to unravel in shocking and surprising ways. The consequences of the lives they lived under the Germans and the lies that followed are as unexpected as they are devastating.
THE HIDDEN is a heart-rending and provocative story of love and abandonment, shame and survival, that casts a light onto the forgotten shadows of the war in occupied Jersey.
THE HIDDEN was a Waitrose ‘book of the month’ in September 2019, and picked by WHSmith Travel for one of their ‘books of the month’ for September 2019
REVIEWS
‘Recent novels such as The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society have taken the occupation as their subject, but none so potently as Mary Chamberlain’s The Hidden … As Chamberlain’s narrative moves between past and present….the realities of life under a ruthless occupying power are slowly, skilfully revealed.’ – Sunday Times (a MUST READ choice of the best books)
‘A powerful and raw, though elegantly written, character piece dealing with inhumanity and endurance, firmly grounded in real events.’
Alastair Mabbott, Herald
‘While other novels … have centred on this period, few have done so with such aplomb and jarring clarity as this latest offering from Mary Chamberlain… This compelling and heart-rending novel is a potent reminder that the horrors of war aren’t limited to the battlefields. Nor do they cease when the guns fall silent. There are those who will carry the scars – emotional, physical and psychological – for the rest of their lives. There is scant justice. But in The Hidden, Chamberlain gives them credence and a voice. – Susan Swarbrick, The Herald, Scotland . ‘A powerful story, well told.’Harback Book of the Month. – Choice Magazine ‘A heart-breaking yet hope-filled tale.’ – Woman’s Own Magazine
– The Bookbag ‘A heart breaking yet hope filled tale of loss and a journey to heal old wounds.’– Woman Magazine
‘A hidden gem of a read…a remarkable tale.’ – The Book Trail
Country Style Magazine Australia
‘Historian Chamberlain does a terrific job of moving beyond dry records, underlining the fact that although women have a different wartime story to men, it is no less wrenching. She researched the topic in great detail and spares no one for, as a protagonist points out, war makes monsters of everyone.’ * SA Weekend, (Adelaide Advertiser)
Beautiful, shocking and utterly absorbing, The Hidden casts light on an episode in our wartime history which is so rarely told… Mary Chamberlain writes beautifully about war, love and survival, brilliantly portraying the struggles of individuals, especially women, forced into desperate acts in order to endure.’ – Sarah Day, author of Mussolini’s Island ‘Set against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands, The Hidden is a powerful, heart-wrenching story of deception and guilt, love and loss; I was completely engrossed, seduced by its strong characters and atmosphere, and intrigued by the mystery at the heart of the novel.’ – Saskia Sarginson, author of The Twins ‘A riveting World War saga taking place in the unusual setting of Jersey. A tale about the lives that persist in the shadow of an occupation: the devastating things that happen to people; the soul-destroying things they are made to do; the miraculous things they make happen; and the secrets and ramifications they are left to live with for the rest of their lives.’ – Cecilia Ekbäck, author of Wolf Winter ‘Shines a piercing light on the shrouded history of human trafficking and labour camps in the Channel Isles during WW2. A fascinating and powerful story of love, endurance, betrayal and guilt.’ – Anna Mazzola, author of The Unseeing
marychamberlainbooks 