The Museum of Broken Promises

The Museum of Broken Promises opening line: A twenty-year old girl with a bandaged hand waits on an Austrian station platform with a suitcase at her feet inside which is stuffed a rucksack but nothing else because it is only there for pretence.

My blurb:

Laure is in love, for the first time in her life. But this is a love that is dangerous. Her boss is not who he says he is. And her lover is on the opposite side of the political divide. This love will see her lose more than she could have ever imagined. And eventually this loss is showcased in her museum as she does not know any other way to honour it.

The Museum of Broken Promises

Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated – a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby’s shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.

Prague, 1985. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences.

It is only years later, having created the museum, that Laure can finally face up to her past and celebrate the passionate love which has directed her life.

My verdict:

Before reading this novel I really thought that a place like this existed. And it should! I enjoyed the historical and political aspects of this novel. There were a few errors in the book but this did not detract from the good read.

Publishing information:

Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Random House South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.

Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime February 2:

• • 2018 – Pure Rye
  • 2015 – Sweet Chilli Roasted Cashews
  • 2012 – Chives
  • 2011 – Harissa

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