A piercingly evocative East-West love story' The TimesThis is a story of East and West. A story of love, betrayal, and lost illusions... The end of the Cold War seems unimaginable for Milena, a Red Princess trapped in a lifetime of limitless luxury. Yet when she meets Jason, a confident British poet, it's not long before she's secretly planning her escape to Britain. 1980s London defies her privileged expectations. And when she discovers Jason's concept of freedom confronts her deepest-held beliefs, the very ideas of family and state come into question... 'A wonderful, perfectly-pitched novel: full of delightful intrigue and wry insight about the human predicament and its unique tensions' William Boyd'Witty, poignant and full of surprises - every detail of this cross-cultural story of love and disillusionment rings true' Clare Chambers