The Girl in the Oil Painting: A heart-wrenching, emotional WW2 historical fiction novel, based on a true story

by Uri Dushy

A heartbreaking saga of hope, family, and longing set in one of the untold parts of war-torn Europe.

Rhodes, 1940. Sixteen-year-old Dora Behar and her cousin Sarah are as close as sisters, planning their future and painting the sunsets that wash over the Mediterranean. But that was before the Nazis rose to power, blackening every corner of their once-peaceful Jewish district. And while some believe the war and discrimination will eventually pass, Dora’s family is about to make an impossible choice that will change her life forever…

2023. The war is long over, and for many, it remains in memory, a story to pass down to the next generation. But for a particular young artist, the war is more than just a memory—it’s a recurring a solemn figure standing on the very edges of an abandoned harbor, watching a ship sailing away, unaware that it will never come back to Rhodes…

With its heart based on real historical events, The Girl in the Oil Painting is an unputdownable story of hope and longing, perfect for fans of Kristin Harmel and Rhys Bowen.

Genres: Historical Fiction

239 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2025

About the author

No. 1 Amazon Bestselling Author. Uri Dushy writes sweeping World War II historical fiction about extraordinary women who risked everything. His Art of Resistance series, including The Girl in the Oil Painting, The Librarian of Amsterdam, and The Painter of Hidden Children, follows women who used art, forgery, and courage to save lives under Nazi occupation. Inspired by true stories of resistance, his novels are for readers who love Kristin Hannah, Pam Jenoff, and Kate Quinn.
An internationally exhibited artist for over 40 years, Uri brings a visual artist's eye to his storytelling, weaving art, identity, and survival into every page.

Reviews

[Veronique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Dushy
I am writing to you about your book which I finished a couple days ago.
First of all -congratulations on this magnificent little book ! (By the way why is it so cheap on Amazon?)
I cannot get this book out of my mind , for many reasons.
First question - was your family from Rhodes?
Are you now Israeli? Where do you live? Why my interest?

Well both my parents were from Rhodes, they were the lucky ones who left before the war , and ended up in the Congo, where I was born, in 1952.
I grew up speaking French and learning Ladino.
My life’s journey bounced me around from Congo, to Rhodesia , back to the Congo, to South Africa and now I live in Dallas Texas.
I too am an artist , not as well known as and successful as you. However my artistic journey through the years has also bounced around.
My first inkling of my Rhodes heritage was when my mom took me to visit Rhodes when I was 10. At that point Rhodes had not really rebuilt since the WW bombings.
She had never talked about the losses that she had known - but somehow I knew that she lost her mother and father and 6 or 7 siblings.
She wanted to take me to see the house they had lived in - right in the middle of the Judeiria, across from the famous fountain.
She took me by the hand and we climbed the outside steps and she knocked on the door. She explained to the Greek lady that she had lived here before the war with her big family and just wanted to show her daughter where she had lived. ( my mom spoke Greek so that made it easier)
We walked in , looked around in silence - and then we climbed the top floor - it was still roofless as it had been bombed.
Not much explanation to a 10 year old , except repeating « pour doulor, pour doulor » her mom, dad and all her siblings were taken to Auswitz.
The only other interesting thing was sitting on the Rhodes beach , next to us were some folks speaking German… she immediately struck up a conversation about how beautiful it is here, have you been here before… and the man said « yes, I was here during the war » and she said « oh so you came to take the Jews away ? »
And that was that …
No more words, no more « pour doulor »-silence set in about the war. I was too young to question it and understand the silence….
I grew up , Rhodes remained in my psyche, I ended up in Dallas and started painting.
This was my very first painting , at age 30…


http://www.colorofmemory.com/phantoms...

After that , it was a whirlwind of creation…
Rhodes as the centerpiece - I joined with another artist whose family came from Hungary- and we exhibited « the Color of Memory »
I am now 72 , both my parents are long gone , still painting, my Holocaust obsession turned to educating about the Holocaust- I am a docent educator at the Dallas Holocaust Museum.
And then I found your book!
It has touched me so deeply I cannot stop thinking about it - finally I get it ! I get my parents silence, I get my obsession about Rhodes, the island where my youngest daughter got married, in the old synagogue, at the time before they started restoring it - during the ceremony, birds were were flying through the broken windows - our ancestors?
My passion about making bourekitas and rishikas and speaking Ladino with my dear cousin… remembering the beautiful sayings in Ladino.
And now I want my 3 adult kids to read your book because it has opened the door of a silent past.
Now I know why the silence - it was left for me to discover and explore through reading, learning about the Holocaust and expressing that knowledge with art.
I am eternally grateful to you for this gift .
Sincerely
Veronique Jonas Soriano

[Barry Tobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five Stars for Historical Fiction

I give 5 stars for what I learned about the history of Rhodes. I am always searching for WWII Historical Fiction that is seldom written about.
But I did get frustrated with the volume of repetitive prose. If something was repeated for a second, third or fourth time I just skipped over those pages.
So overall I give ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

[Mary Ocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anxious to read book 2