This is a very well written book focussing on former diplomat’s wife Emma and her 18 year old grandson Phil. Prior to the Second World War Emma lived in Paris and Berlin, she had strong communist views which she shared with her recently deceased elder brother Hugh and her access to diplomatic secrets made her a target for foreign agencies. Now it’s 1979 and amidst the Cold War era Emma and Phil take a trip to revisit Emma’s old haunts during which she reveals secrets of her past to Phil. Told both in present time and back in the Thirties we follow their trip of Europe and discover what happened in each location and Emma’s motivations both for her actions then and her trip now. There are a fascinating mix of characters and based on their past actions it’s very difficult to know who to trust, the descriptions of the locations in both eras is very detailed and it’s very easy to understand Emma’s motivations and the complexities of her character. It’s not a fast paced novel but it is not without its twists and turns.