A painting by Henri Lebasque, a lesser known Impressionist, is the centre-piece around which this engaging novel revolves, bringing together a disparate group of characters whose lives are all linked by the painting to a greater or lesser degree and which binds them in this often moving and compelling novel about the Holocaust and the events of WWII. It’s a good solid historical family saga, with a satisfying and not too contrived ending. The characters perhaps lack real depth, the dialogue feels occasionally forced, there are admittedly holes in the plot and the narration is largely without subtlety, but if you can put your critical faculties in abeyance for a while there’s also a lot to enjoy here – not least the discovery (for me) of Henri Lebasque.