It has been three decades since Laura’s mother, Viola, vanished. One day, Viola left the remnants of her sandwich and her life behind and simply walked away. In a quest to find out why, Laura heads off to Italy to retrace her mother’s footsteps. She has few leads, but she does have Viola’s paintings, some of which show a mysterious red house.

Viola grew up during one of the most horrific times in history: the Second World War. As the conflict raged on, she was very young. Their family enjoyed a good life before her father, Josef, was forced out of their home and sent to the Red House --- an abandoned orphanage somewhere outside of Naples. Her mother, Anna, made the choice to go with him and took the children along. They had no inkling how bad it would be.

"Mary Morris has done a masterful job of personalizing one family’s travails and journey through an unfathomable injustice. This phenomenal book carries an impact that will stay with its readers long after the last page has been turned."

They arrived in sweltering heat from which there was no relief, crammed in small rooms with other families. And they were provided with almost no food, living off mostly what could be foraged in the surrounding fields. When the nights turned frigid, no one gave them blankets to stave off the cold. It was as if they were merely cattle being held until officials could figure out what to do with them.

Finally, some news came. The German invasion was winding down, and the family would be allowed to return to their hometown. But what might await them? Cautiously, Josef went ahead to ensure that it was safe after he first secured lodging for his wife and kids in Naples. The following days, waiting to be reunited, seemed to stretch on forever. Would they ever see each other again?

Every twist in Viola’s life makes Laura’s search for the truth a greater challenge. She is able to find a trail here and there, but many lead to dead ends. In a rare stroke of luck, one clue takes her to a soldier who professed his love for Viola, and he believed she loved him back. He is now an old man with a love story to tell that will break your heart. Laura spends days listening to him and eventually lets him guide her to the Red House.

But having come this far, Laura is not sure she wants to see it. The place holds powerful memories, even if they are not her own. Ghosts reside there, and dreams turn into nightmares. Will Laura find the answers she’s been seeking, or will she simply find more devastation? It might be best for her to return home to her husband and let the past remain in the past. But can she?

A poignant and heart-wrenching saga, THE RED HOUSE doubles as a historical novel and a mystery. The recounting of the horrors that were rained down upon the Jews during World War II are barely touched upon here, and certainly not in graphic detail, yet it’s still difficult to read. Mary Morris has done a masterful job of personalizing one family’s travails and journey through an unfathomable injustice. This phenomenal book carries an impact that will stay with its readers long after the last page has been turned.