The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos - 2019

Sound clean copy read once. Order direct for local pick up.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, leaving the Jewish population vulnerable to persecution, the girl is whisked away to an orphanage, until she's adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. Soon, she all but forget the parents who were forced to abandon her. Many years later in Soviet Romania, Natalia crosses path with Victor - a face from her past, now an important official in the Communist regime. They're fatefully drawn into a passionate affair, despite the dark secrets Victor keeps. When Natalia is suddenly offered a onetime chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her, even if it means losing her. Matalia must then make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with Victor and her beloved adoptive parents, or seize the chance to live life on her own terms - and to confront the painful enigma of her past.