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Table of Contents
About The Book
For fans of The Light After the War comes a powerful and emotionally gripping novel about survival, guilt, and finding hope in the ruins of a shattered world. Returning to postwar Berlin in search of her missing family, a young Jewish refugee must confront the devastating secrets of her past — and risk her heart on the possibility of forgiveness, love, and a new beginning.
Berlin, 1938. As the terror of Kristallnacht sweeps across Germany, young Meike Mosbach and her brother David narrowly escape to America, believing the rest of their family will soon follow. But when their parents and little sister never arrive, the siblings are left haunted by grief, unanswered questions, and the unbearable weight of what was lost.
Determined to bury the past, Meike remakes herself as Millie — an ambitious young journalist building a new life in America. But when the war ends, neither she nor David can let go of the hope that their family might still be alive. Drawn back to the city that destroyed their childhood, they return to a devastated Berlin teeming with black-market dealers, Allied spies, former Nazis, and dangerous secrets lurking beneath the rubble.
Working with the U.S. Army to expose Nazis attempting to regain power, Millie channels her anger into vengeance against the country that betrayed her family. But amid the ruins, she begins to see the terrible human cost the war has left on everyone — including those she once believed beyond forgiveness.
Then she meets Major Harry Sutton, an enigmatic intelligence officer whose compassion for ordinary Germans both infuriates and unsettles her. As Harry slowly breaks through the walls Millie has built around her heart, she is forced to confront a devastating secret she has carried for years — and decide whether she can ever truly forgive, love, or begin again.
Richly atmospheric and deeply moving, this unforgettable historical novel is a story of resilience, redemption, and the courage it takes to reclaim hope after unimaginable loss
Berlin, 1938. As the terror of Kristallnacht sweeps across Germany, young Meike Mosbach and her brother David narrowly escape to America, believing the rest of their family will soon follow. But when their parents and little sister never arrive, the siblings are left haunted by grief, unanswered questions, and the unbearable weight of what was lost.
Determined to bury the past, Meike remakes herself as Millie — an ambitious young journalist building a new life in America. But when the war ends, neither she nor David can let go of the hope that their family might still be alive. Drawn back to the city that destroyed their childhood, they return to a devastated Berlin teeming with black-market dealers, Allied spies, former Nazis, and dangerous secrets lurking beneath the rubble.
Working with the U.S. Army to expose Nazis attempting to regain power, Millie channels her anger into vengeance against the country that betrayed her family. But amid the ruins, she begins to see the terrible human cost the war has left on everyone — including those she once believed beyond forgiveness.
Then she meets Major Harry Sutton, an enigmatic intelligence officer whose compassion for ordinary Germans both infuriates and unsettles her. As Harry slowly breaks through the walls Millie has built around her heart, she is forced to confront a devastating secret she has carried for years — and decide whether she can ever truly forgive, love, or begin again.
Richly atmospheric and deeply moving, this unforgettable historical novel is a story of resilience, redemption, and the courage it takes to reclaim hope after unimaginable loss
About The Author
(c)Jerry Bauer
Ellen Feldman is the acclaimed author of Scottsboro, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Orange Prize, The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank, which was translated into nine languages, Next to Love, Terrible Virtue, The Unwitting and Lucy. A former Guggenheim Fellow in fiction, she has a BA and MA in modern history from Bryn Mawr College and after graduate studies at Columbia University, she worked for a New York publishing house, like Charlotte in Paris Never Leaves You. She has lectured around the US, Germany and the UK. She lives in New York and Amagansett with her husband and rescue terrier Charlie.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (September 15, 2021)
- Length: 368 pages
- ISBN13: 9781761101854
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Raves and Reviews
‘A gorgeous, shattering novel that could not be more timely about the dark damage of hatred and the persistence of love.’
– Caroline Leavitt, NYT bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow
‘A beautiful, atmospheric novel that transports us to Occupied Berlin, a perfect setting in which to examine the contours of shame, as well as the possibilities of forgiveness.'
– Elizabeth J. Church, author of The Atomic Weight of Love and All the Beautiful Girls
‘Ellen Feldman masters the two great challenges of the historical novel, mapping the human heart as expertly as she does another time and place. Her story sears, uplifts and compels. A terrific read, brilliantly written.’
– Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland and Paradise Alley
‘Postwar Berlin springs vividly to life in this engrossing, emotionally powerful novel … Beautifully written, rich with detail and a brilliantly drawn cast of characters, from a writer with an unrivaled grasp of history and the human heart.'
– Liza Gyllenhaal, author of Local Knowledge
'A deeply satisfying and truly adult novel.’
– Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy
‘Exquisite... will stay with readers long after the final page is turned.’
– Publishers Weekly
‘This vivid novel should be required reading for those who are wondering why we still to this day find that it is far easier to hate other people than to pause and try to understand them.’
– Historical Novels Review
‘Vivid... illuminating... with plenty of action and even some romance, evoking a lesser-known historical period—the immediate postwar era and Berlin before the wall—and the complications and compromises that come with the end of war.’
– Book Page
‘Feldman has delivered yet another powerful and moving wartime story.'
– The Australian
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