The Hidden

The Hidden centers on Dora Simon, who finds contentment in her retirement, indulging her interests in gardening and music. Likewise, Joe O’Cleary enjoys life on the Jersey farm, which he helped rebuild with its owner, Geoffrey Laurent, allowing him time to pursue his lifelong hobby of birdwatching.

However, their worlds are disrupted by the arrival of Barbara Hummel, a young German woman eager to uncover the identity of a mysterious woman in a photograph she found among her mother’s possessions.

Forced to resurrect secrets long buried, Dora and Joe face a past they thought they had left behind. As their lives unravel and entwine in unexpected ways, both find themselves trapped in the Channel Islands during the German occupation in the Second World War. Dora, a Jewish refugee, hides her true identity, while Joe, a Catholic priest, harbours a secret. The consequences of these hidden lives are as unexpected as they are devastating.

This is a heart-rending and provocative story of love and betrayal, shame and survival, casting light into the forgotten or unknown shadows of war.