An epic World War II tale of star-crossed lovers separated by class, circumstance and tragedy from the bestselling author of The Girl They Left Behind

Hungary, 1943. As war encroaches on the country’s borders, willful young Eva arrives in the idyllic town of Sopron to spend her last summer as a single woman on her aristocratic family’s estate. Longing for freedom from her domineering father, she counts the days to her upcoming nuptials to a kind and dedicated Red Cross doctor whom she greatly admires. 

But Eva’s life changes when she meets Aleandro, a charming and passionate Romani fiddler with a love for painting. With time and profound class differences against them, Eva and Aleandro still fall deeply in love—only to be separated by a brutal act of hatred. 

As their lives diverge and they are each swept into the tides of war and its aftermath they try to forget what they once shared. But as the years pass, the haunting memory of their romance will reshape their destinies and drive them to decisions that will change their lives forever. 

From the horrors of World War II to the tensions of the 1956 Hungarian uprising and beyond, When the War Was Here is a sweeping story about the toll of secrets, the blurred lines between desire and loyalty, sacrifice and obsession, and the endurance of the human spirit. 

Praise for When the War Was Here

"A lyrical and deeply moving story ... Book clubs will love this intimate tale of courage and sacrifice." Anita Abriel, bestselling author of The Light After the War

"Veletzos deftly weaves a tale of music, heartbreak, survival and, ultimately, enduring love." Jillian Cantor, author of Half Life

"A Tale of Two Cities meets The Nightingale in this luminous wartime love story." Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Stolen Beauty