The Painting

When Anika Molnar flees her home country of Hungary not long before the break-up of the Soviet Union, she carries only a small suitcase – and a beautiful and much-loved painting of an auburn-haired woman in a cobalt blue dress from her family’s hidden collection.


Arriving in Australia, Anika moves in with her aunt in Sydney, and the painting hangs in pride of place in her bedroom. But one day it is stolen in what seems to be a carefully planned theft, and Anika’s carefree life takes a more ominous turn.


Sinister secrets from her family’s past and Hungary’s fraught history cast suspicion over the painting’s provenance, and she embarks on a gripping quest to uncover the truth. Hungary’s war-torn past contrasts sharply with Australia’s bright new world of opportunity in this moving and compelling mystery.


Industry reviews

‘Booth keeps up the suspense and brings her mystery to a satisfying conclusion while examining, with delicacy and insight, the corrosive personal cost of living in a Soviet satellite state.’

The Herald Scotland


‘What Booth does so well in The Painting is threading the mystery of the stolen painting through her narrative while maintaining pace and tension. Booth is an elegant writer who excels at inhabiting the intellectual headspace of her characters.

The Canberra Times


‘The subtle layering of the political and the personal make this an intriguing and suspenseful fiction read as well as a study in 20th century European history…. this novel offers us beautifully crafted prose and the strong evocation of a sense of place...

Living Arts Canberra


‘There is a mystery about the painting, a story with its roots in the European past, and after it arrives in Australia it continues to cause trouble. .. The romance sub-plot ties in well with the central mystery, keeping both Anika and the reader guessing. This is a carefully plotted tale in which the recent historical past is convincingly evoked and explored.’

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Melbourne


‘… the various twists and turns in the plot [made The Painting]… an engaging read. The author effectively illustrated the lifestyle and atmosphere in the two countries. She portrayed the violence and oppression of past times in Hungary, where lives were controlled, people lived in fear and learnt to trust nobody. In comparison the warmth, positivity, openness and opportunities offered in Australia, provide a sharp contrast.’

NB Magazine


‘Booth unfolds her carefully constructed, intricate plot, from Anika’s perspective… while exploring the consequences of totalitarianism and war. Booth weaves a nicely taut thread of suspense through her novel, pleasingly resolved at the end. Altogether a smart, absorbing piece of summer reading with a cast of perceptively drawn characters.'

A Life In Books


‘The final unravelling [of The Painting is] a vivid reminder of the disruption and suffering experienced by Hungarians during and after World War II.’

Historical Novel Society Reviews, UK