Description

The Hiding Game is an intoxicating story of love and betrayal, set in the Bauhaus art school. Heady, gripping and unforgettable, Naomi Wood’s third novel explores the perils of secrecy in a changing and increasingly dangerous world.

In Roaring Twenties Germany, Paul, Charlotte and Walter meet at the Bauhaus art school. The trio form a close-knit group, in which passions and rivalries collide. But when Walter is betrayed, he makes a terrible mistake – a secret he will keep from Paul and Charlotte for as long as he can.

As political tensions escalate and the Nazis gain power, Walter’s secret – hidden in notebooks, paintings and blueprints – ultimately threatens the very lives of his friends, with devastating consequences.

Shortlisted for The Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown Award.
Longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Publisher Review

A novel of delicate menace, in which the gathering weight of personal struggle becomes insidiously roped to the political upheaval of 1930s Germany and its rising fascist forces -- Ross Raisin, author of God's Own Country In The Hiding Game, the reader is lured expertly into the atmosphere and eccentricities of a group of Bauhaus students whose loves and loyalties are tested within their odd, exciting environment. This is a novel of curious, arresting detail and sharp emotions, a coming of age story like no other. Layered and intricate, it's another triumph from the lively mind of Naomi Wood -- Nuala O'Connor, author of Becoming Belle A devastating secret haunts Naomi Wood's third novel . . . Fans of Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life will be carried away by the similarly fraught friendships and loving betrayals in Wood's book * New Statesman * Wood effortlessly evokes the atmosphere at the Bauhaus . . . The Hiding Game is a carefully and intricately woven novel of love, deceit and creativity * Icon Magazine * An engaging tale filled with jealousies and rivalries turns into a dark, compelling drama about betrayal, revenge and the cost of loving too much . . . Like Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Wood's novel starts out as a chronicle of a death foretold . . . emotionally charged and morally complex * Literary Review * Tense and absorbing, this is a book that you'll want to dive into and hungrily read to the last word * Stylist * Set against the political upheaval of 1930s Germany, The Hiding Game is a dazzling tale of artistic ambition and romantic desire, of the choices we make in youth and the price we pay for them as we grow older. Beautifully written, vividly realized, it will remain seared in my imagination for years to come -- Ellen Feldman, author of Next to Love A love story set in the Bauhaus art school during Germany's turbulent 1920s? Be still, my pounding heart! -- Sarra Manning * Red, 'The only summer reads you need' * A fantastic novel, so beautiful and sad . . . Immersive, elegant and affecting, Wood's prose, as always, delights the senses -- Megan Bradbury, author of Everyone is Watching Wood can recreate a time and place with all its glamour and grit . . . art and ideas have never felt more thrilling -- Alexandra Heminsley * Grazia * With great conviction, Wood summons up the intensity of the students' camaraderie and the forces that destroy it -- Nick Rennison * The Sunday Times * I was seduced and fascinated by the hedonism, the creative and romantic rivalries and conflicted loyalties in this tangle of flawed and beautiful people -- Isabel Costello, The Literary Sofa Atmospheric and compelling . . . A haunting read -- Caroline Lea, author of The Glass Woman A suspenseful story of obsession against the tense political backdrop of Germany's Bauhaus art school -- Francesca Angelini * Sunday Times Style * The Hiding Game is a brilliant, fascinating novel - a gripping story, skilfully told -- Sara Baume, author of Spill Simmer Falter Wither