His assistant is a fellow Spaniard, a 13 year old boy named Santiago whom he protects as much as possible in this inhumane, dreadfully cruel environment. 

The Mauthausen concentration camp, Kommandant Weber orders Mateo to take photographs of the prisoners in various horrific situations and to make five copies which will be made into photo albums, These photo albums are for for the Kommandant to proudly give to his superiors showcasing the "good work" he is doing at this camp .

However, Mateo and Santiago decide to make a secret sixth copy to reveal the extent of the depravity of the camp when this terrible war is over. He manages to hide the sixth negatives and prints  at great risk to both himself, to young Santiago and to Lena Lang and her family who live nearby.

Not all residents of Mauthausen are Nazis, some are reviled by what they see happening but cannot do anything about it without putting their own lives at risk. The Lang family have a secret which they dare not let out. If the Nazis were to find out that would be the end of the Lang family.

Mateo and Santiago's friends, fellow prisoners Nico Antanov and Jakub play key roles in helping to hide these photos when they get an opportunity to rebuild the Lang's family wall which was  knocked down by a truck carrying more prisoners.

Meanwhile the story travels forward to present day in country NSW where 13 year old Hannah who lives with her somewhat cold and difficult widowed mother Roza. Hannah's grandfather, her mother's father, visits from his home town of Mostar in former Yugoslavia. Hannah adores her kind and loving deda (grandfather), Nico and wishes he could remain with them. Nico brings with him a secret parcel which he and her mother refuse to allow Hannah to see. They say, not yet, it's not the right time. Her grandfather says one day, one day, you will see it and understand, it is also part of your history, but not now.

But curious Hannah wants to know what's in this calico wrapped bag so when her mother and grandfather are busy talking she looks for the bag which she finds hidden. When Hannah opens the photo album she doesn't quite know what to make of these photos.She can't get this out of her mind and when over the years, she asks her mother about the book, she always get the same answer. Not now, you're not ready. She wonders if her mother will ever think she is ready.

Meanwhile Hannah is growing up and with her close friends Tab (Tabatha) and Yuri they have ambitions to leave and head to living in the city. These photos become Hannah's obsession and as her mother refuses to tell her any information about them, Hannah decides she will find out more for herself. She studies history at the University of Sydney specialising in World War II As part of her study and thanks to her 21st birthday gift from her mother and late father Hannah travels to Austria to discover more at this Mauthausen where she learns the truth and  why her beloved deda is in these photos.

This heart rendering story talks about growing up as a teenager in country NSW, bisexual relationships, the first great love while studying at university. It is also about discovering secret family history, marriage, children and then divorce and finding love again and understanding why Hannah's mother was so protective and seemingly so difficult.

It is a real page turner that will have readers hooked, A thoroughly enjoyable read clever intermingling  true events and fiction.

The author

Kirsty Manning grew up in northern New South Wales. A country girl with wanderlust, her travels and studies have taken her through most of Europe, the east and west coasts of the United States and pockets of Asia.
Kirsty's debut novel, The Midsummer Garden, was published in 2017. The Hidden Book is Kirsty's sixth novel. Her novels are also published in the United States and in Europe.

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