The Visible World

by Mark Slouka

A clandestine love affair is kindled during the dark days of the Nazi occupation of Prague; its consequences reverberate through the decades and across thousands of miles, with tragic results.

This is a story about memory and concealed histories, and about the way that the most fiercely-held secrets of the past eventually force their way to the surface. It begins with a boy, the child of Czech immigrants to the US, who is brought up on the ancient myths, and on the folktales of his parents' homeland. As he grows older, he becomes aware that the one story he hasn't been told is what his parents did during the war.
It is only as an adult, when he makes a journey back to Czechoslovakia, that he discovers their part in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the notorious 'butcher of Prague'. Embedded at the heart of this gripping history, is powerful love story - of a tragic passion and an enduring commitment. Plotted with all the intensity of a thriller, this intelligent and moving novel has what it takes to be a readers' favourite and a contemporary classic.

(From Publisher).

Mark Slouka is a Contributing Editor at Harper's and the author of on previous novel, Gods Fool, and a collection of stories, Lost Lake.

A provocative and captivating read, combining memoir, fiction and historical fact with a background of Prague in 1942 and afterwards. A love story told with stunning and clear prose.