Shadows of Berlin

by David R. Gillham

Overview

"Reminding us that history is made up of infinite individual choices, Shadows of Berlin is a masterful story of survival and redemption." — Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star

A captivating novel of a Berlin girl on the run from the guilt of her past and the boy from Brooklyn who loves her

1955 in New York City: the city of instant coffee, bagels at Katz's Deli, ultra-modern TVs. But in the Perlman's walk-up in Chelsea, the past is as close as the present. Rachel came to Manhattan in a wave of displaced Jews who managed to survive the horrors of war. Her Uncle Fritz fleeing with her, Rachel hoped to find freedom from her pain in New York and in the arms of her new American husband, Aaron.

But this child of Berlin and daughter of an artist cannot seem to outrun her guilt in the role of American housewife, not until she can shed the ghosts of her past. And when Uncle Fritz discovers, in a dreary midtown pawn shop, the most shocking portrait that her mother had ever painted, Rachel's memories begin to terrorize her, forcing her to face the choices she made to stay alive—choices that might be her undoing.

From the cafes of war-torn Germany to the frantic drumbeat of 1950's Manhattan, Shadows of Berlin dramatically explores survival, redemption and the way we learn to love and forgive across impossible divides.

"A tribute to resilience and starting over. This is heart-wrenching and memorable." — Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728250441
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	1,167,962
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/14/2022

Trauma and survivor’s guilt haunt a young woman in Gillham’s stunning latest (after Annelies). Berlin-born Rachel Perlman, 29, lives in New York City in 1955 with her American husband, Aaron, having fled Europe after WWII. Gillham flashes back to the years before the war, with Rachel (born Rashka Morgenstern) living comfortably in Berlin with her widowed artist mother until the anti-Jewish laws strip them of their possessions and her mother’s livelihood. Rachel and her mother go underground and live as what are known colloquially as “U-boats,” or Jews hiding in plain sight. They’re caught in 1944, and to save themselves from being sent to a concentration camp, Rachel is pushed into helping her mother’s former muse Angelika identify other U-boats. Now, in New York, Rachel struggles to be a conventional wife, while being terrorized by nightmares and visions of her deceased mother and others. After her uncle discovers her mother’s shocking portrait of Angelika, Rachel’s painful memories of Berlin peak into overdrive. Gillham’s use of Berlin’s cafés and New York’s walk-ups, restaurants, and parks is superb, and the generous sprinkling of Yiddish in the text adds a layer of richness. While the story is a tribute to resilience and starting over, it doesn’t shy away from the hurt that adults can bring to children. This is heart-wrenching and memorable. Agent: Rebecca Gradinger, Fletcher and Co. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A tribute to resilience and starting over. This is heart-wrenching and memorable." — Publishers Weekly

"I have been a fan of David Gillham’s work since City of Women and his latest, Shadows of Berlin, is his best yet. The story of Rachel, a Holocaust survivor, who seeks to start a new life in New York City with her American-born husband, Aaron, but cannot outrun the secrets of her past and what she did to survive, is haunting and enigmatic. Gillham writes about both the war and its aftermath with a sure hand, placing readers in the shoes of his memorable characters and compelling them to ask what they would have done. Reminding us that history is made up of infinite individual choices, Shadows of Berlin is a masterful story of survival and redemption." — Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star

"The Woman in the Library is a sophisticated mystery with more layers than an onion, created by a master hand. Clever plot twists in Gentill’s signature refined style will make you feel smarter just by reading. Sulari Gentill has done it again." — Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author

"In a poignant novel saturated in the rich hues of time, place, and art comes the unforgettable story of Rachel Perlman—a child of war, grown in body but held captive in soul by a past of abuse, guilt, and unimaginable trauma. Yet even from the ruinous embers of war, Gillham skillfully, tenderly allows Rachel to rise, revealing the life-affirming truth that we may always begin again, no matter where we are. Though timeless, Shadows of Berlin is novel for our time because it provides what we desperately need all the time: Hope." — Erika Robuck, national bestselling author of The Invisible Woman

"A powerful, heartrending story of guilt and forgiveness, loss and love, war's long shadow over the living and our memories of the dead. With exquisite poignancy, Gillham asks what it means to survive profound trauma and find hope in a broken world." — Jennifer Rosner, author of The Yellow Bird Sings

"David Gillham has written a deeply moving story about an aspect of the Holocaust that few people know about - how thousands of survivors came to New York City to restart their lives and escape demons from the past. But some have a hard time dealing with the guilt, shame, and anger caused by the terrible experience. Gillham paints a vivid picture of their life in post-war New York while imaginatively linking it to their ordeal in wartime Berlin." — Charles Belfoure, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Architect

"Straddling the ragged line between guilt and tender mercy, Shadows of Berlin is Gillham at his best, writing compelling, evocative history. He is a master wordsmith who deftly pulls us down winding corridors riddled with broken spirits and haunting ghosts on a quest for absolution. An unspeakable past unspools in spits and sputters. Gillham nimbly sews the scraps together. The result is a riveting story that is unputdownable." — Leah Weiss, bestselling author of If The Creek Don’t Rise and All the Little Hopes

"Echoes of Sophie's Choice reverberate throughout Gillham's novel...a crisply detailed portrait of postwar New York." — Booklist

From the Publisher

Suzanne Toren’s performance is a tour de force. In 1955, in New York City, Rachel, a Jewish refugee, is plagued by guilt for her actions during WWII. She has “episodes” that land her in a straitjacket at Bellevue. Her supportive American husband, Aaron, believes that having a child is their duty to the future. Rachel’s reasons for denying them this joy are always clear, thanks to Toren’s lush voice and understated delivery. Toren’s every word rings true, every powerful emotion tugs at the heart, and her Yiddish is faultless. When Rachel is visited by the ghost of her mother, an artist, or menaced by her personal guilt, Toren’s nuanced presentation is fully credible. As this novel questions whether the past can be redeemed by the future, Toren is simply outstanding. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2022 - AudioFile

Suzanne Toren’s performance is a tour de force. In 1955, in New York City, Rachel, a Jewish refugee, is plagued by guilt for her actions during WWII. She has “episodes” that land her in a straitjacket at Bellevue. Her supportive American husband, Aaron, believes that having a child is their duty to the future. Rachel’s reasons for denying them this joy are always clear, thanks to Toren’s lush voice and understated delivery. Toren’s every word rings true, every powerful emotion tugs at the heart, and her Yiddish is faultless. When Rachel is visited by the ghost of her mother, an artist, or menaced by her personal guilt, Toren’s nuanced presentation is fully credible. As this novel questions whether the past can be redeemed by the future, Toren is simply outstanding. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2022 - AudioFile