The Museum of Broken Promises

Book excerpt: Paris, today: The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated - a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby's shoe. And each represents a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display. 1985: Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But she cannot begin to comprehend the dark political currents in this communist city - until she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him, however, 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.