The Hidden Book

 The Hidden Book

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       September 1, 2023

 

Author  Kirsty Manning

Distributor:      Allen and Unwin
ISBN:                 9781760879884
Publisher:         Allen and Unwin
Release Date:   September 2023  

Website:    https://www.allenandunwin.com 

It is always exciting when a new book is presented by Kirsty Manning. She has an amazing talent for finding little known subjects and writing about them.  Her books are based on facts and a story is built around the initial truth and how the future may have unfolded.

In the past, we have learned about the Cheapside Hoard, found in the basement of an old building in London. We also have read about an Indian boy at the Golconda diamond mine. The thing that Kirsty excels at is her detailed information of the social and political times as backgrounds to her stories.

Mauthausen Prison of War Camp in Austria during World War 2 is one of the settings in this story. The facts are that a photographer at the camp managed to take many photographs which were secretly hidden and at the end of the war, used to convict Nazi criminals. With help from locals, the photos were smuggled out of the camp and kept hidden until the Allies arrived.

Surprisingly, an album of these photos was found in Australia, and this is where Kirsty has woven a credible tale. No one is quite sure how they arrived on Australian soil but eventually, the album was handed over to the Sydney Jewish Museum for all to see.

The story Kirsty weaves around the photos is seeped in the fear and constant terror of the people living in Austria near the camp. Later, in Australia, the author shows how “Trauma bleeds through generations.”  The Austrian Mother refuses to let her student daughter see the album, saying that it is too horrible for eyes to see.

Kirsty Manning has an extensive list of resources she has used from which to gain the intimate knowledge required to craft The Hidden Book.  Thanks Kirsty for enhancing our understanding once again.

Fiction