Inspiring a major film, this gripping novel examines truth and lies, and lays bare our darkest impulses. I was sure I heard steps up and down the hall in the middle of the night. Johannes is an avid member of the Hitler Youth. As the war rages on, he discovers his parents are hiding a Jewish girl called Elsa behind a false wall in their large house in Vienna. His initial horror turns to love and obsession. Both manipulating and manipulated, Johannes soon finds he is the only one aware of Elsa's existence in the house, the only one responsible for her survival. 'It is a beautiful novel, powerful, different, and ambitious.' — Le Monde