My inspiration for The Betrayal, Book 6 in The Guernsey Novels.
The
Betrayal’, like the 5th
book,
‘Echoes of Time’, is dual-time, with chapters set during WWII and
the present day. The events I describe during the Occupation are
based on fact, but the characters are fictional.
The
first inspiration for this story was the deportation of Jews from
Guernsey by the Germans during WWII. There was only a handful on the
island and not long after the Occupation in 1940, they were singled
out for more onerous treatment than other islanders. Eventually they
had businesses and property confiscated before, in 1942, being sent
to concentration camps. None returned. It is now considered a
shameful blot on the island’s history, but the then local
government was powerless to resist their German ‘masters’.
On
a brighter note, the second inspiration was the artist Renoir. He
spent the summer of 1883 in Guernsey painting numerous versions of a
particular bay, Muelin Huet, amongst others. At least one of these
paintings is in a museum. I joined these two known events to produce
‘The Betrayal’.
Leo
Bichard is a prominent businessman whose French grandmother was a
Jew, although both his parents were Christians. His family have never
mentioned their ancestry but, unfortunately for Leo, someone tells
the Germans, and he is deported with other Jews to concentration
camps and does not return.
A
matter of days before the Germans arrive, Leo sends his beloved wife,
Teresa, and child to England and he stays to defend his property and
stand alongside his fellow islanders. However, the Germans soon
impose severe restrictions on the population and Leo is forced to
close his business and months later his house is taken over by
soldiers and he has no choice but to live with his housekeeper in her
small cottage.
When
Teresa returns after the war, she finds her home wrecked and the
family’s valuables, including an extensive art collection, missing.
One of those was a treasured family painting by Renoir. Learning she
is a widow, she returns heartbroken to live with her family in
England.
In
2010 Nigel and his twin Fiona, locals who have lived in London since
university, return to Guernsey and buy a long-established antiques
shop. A year later, during a refit, they find a hidden stash of
paintings, including what appears to be a Renoir. Days later, Fiona
finds Nigel dead, an apparent suicide. Refusing to accept the
verdict, a distraught Fiona employs a detective to help her discover
the truth.
Searching
for the true owner of the painting brings Fiona close to someone who
helps to heal her broken heart. But there are important questions to
answer before she can lay her brother's ghost to rest —
Who
betrayed Leo? Who
knew about the stolen Renoir?
And
are they prepared to kill – again?
http:www.anneallen.co.uk
Anne
Allen lives in Devon, by her beloved sea. She has three children and
her daughter and two grandchildren live nearby. Her restless spirit
has meant a number of moves which included Spain for a couple of
years. The longest stay was in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years
after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived
to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent
returns.
By
profession Anne was a psychotherapist but long had the itch to write.
Now a full-time writer, she has written The Guernsey Novels, the
sixth having been published on 20th October 2017.
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