The Hidden Book - Book Review

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If you like mystery, family secrets, history and driven female characters, then Kirsty Manning’s new book The Hidden Book , is for you. Kirsty uses a dual timeline to tell her story, the first in 1940s Europe, where a photographer at a concentration camp is forced to make five books of photos for the guards – and he makes a sixth book in secret, helped by a local girl named Lena.

Decades after the war, the book ends up in Australia when Nico Antonov visits his daughter, Roza, and thirteen-year-old granddaughter Hannah in Australia. It is wrapped in flour sacks and before Hannah can find out what it is, Roza whisks it away. Hannah’s fascination doesn’t go away - and once she finds it and finds the ghastly photos within, it sets off a lifelong fascination with what she saw, and takes her from 1987 until about 2018, going back and forth throughout history as the story of the book and its photos unravel as Hannah finds out more about World War II, the Holocaust and Mauthausen camp.

Weaving the story this way, Kirsty Manning has explored family history and generational trauma, and the way one family and the people within that family have responded to the horrors from their past, as well as the way it affects the following generations, even when they live on the other side of the world. Kirsty’s story also looks at the way war is remembered, and how it can be seen as morbid fascination for some rather than the sombre memories and reminders of the dark side of humanity that led to millions of deaths. Hannah’s voice as the granddaughter of survivors of this horrific time is powerful, and she is shown as determined and driven – like anyone who has stumbled across family secrets and wants to know more about them.

It is important to note that the documentation of the atrocities of the Holocaust that this book represents shows how important knowing what has happened in history is, but also, acknowledging the harm that it can cause people, and understanding why they may not want to talk about it. Conversely, I felt that the characters who acknowledged the tragedy and atrocities that happened so close to where they lived decades before was a strength of the novel. Because denying history, or ignoring it can lead to similar things happening again – and serves as a reminder of what it takes to stand up against those who want to harm others, even if we do it in small ways. It is a story of humanity’s ability to come to terms with the past, and to find ways to acknowledge the past and live within our present, whilst preserving the stories from family and those who suffered for the future so what happened is never forgotten, and can be used to teach valuable lessons.

I do have a bit of a soft spot for Kirsty’s books. She’s fantastic at combining history and family stories in engaging ways whilst exploring issues that are confronting but need to be talked about, and giving a voice to those who may not have been heard. It is what draws me to books like this and ensures that history lives for future generations.


Published 29th August 2023 by Allen and Unwin
312 pages, $32.99


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