In her renowned memoir, Grey is the Colour of Hope, the dissident poet Irina Ratushinskaya described her four years in a Soviet labour camp.

Here she looks back on the path which led to that ordeal, interweaving her account of growing up in Odessa with that of her childhood friend and eventual husband, Igor.

With wit and simplicity she provides a striking insight into the everyday hardships of like in a totalitarian state, recalling the experiences which moulded her personality and enabled her - under extreme duress - to remain true to her faith and convictions.