The Gallery of Vanished Husbands

Raised by strict Jewish parents in suburban Kent in the 1930s and 40s, Juliet Montague has never rebelled against her upbbringing, even when her husband disappears, which in her tight-knit community means that until he is traced, she cannot have anything to do with another man. But on her 30th birthday, on her way to buy the fridge she has scrimped for, she impulsively decides to spend her savings on a painting by a young artist, who persuades her to let him paint a portrait of herself instead. The portrait, the first in a series by various artists that punctuates Juliet's life, marks the beginning of a tricky, exciting and guilt-ridden path as she juggles being a mother and dutiful daughter with the allure of London's art world in the sixties. She proves a skilful spotter of new talent, but also susceptible to an intriguingly reclusive artist who never leaves Dorset. The more she becomes involved with him and the further she is drawn from her roots, the more important it becomes to track her husband down - a quest which will take her to California.


Genre: General Fiction