Shadows of Berlin: A Novel

1955 New York City, the city of progress. But in the Perlman residence, the past is as close as the present. Rachel Perlman, a child of Berlin and an artist bearing her mother's legacy, arrives in New York as part of the wave of Jewish displaced persons who managed to survive the brutalities of the war. But despite her efforts, Rachel is unable to live the ""normal"" life of an American housewife until she can shake the ghosts of her past and the tremendous guilt that weighs down on her: the ""crime"" of survival.

Review :
"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 "A tribute to resilience and starting over. This is heart-wrenching and memorable." -- Publishers Weekly "Colorful dialogue, meticulously researched period detail, and an intricate plot about war and penance combine in a richly layered tale of a New York housewife with a secret past buried in World War II Berlin. Immersive and evocative, this tangled tale of regret and rebirth will haunt you." -- Kristen Harmel, New York Times bestselling author "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 "Echoes of Sophie's Choice reverberate throughout Gillham's novel...a crisply detailed portrait of postwar New York." -- Booklist "I have been a fan of David Gilham'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. Gilham 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 "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 a novel for our time because it provides what we desperately need all the time: Hope." -- Erika Robuck, national bestselling author of The Invisible Woman "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