Shadows of Berlin - David R. Gillham

 Shadows of Berlin - David R. Gillham

She read

Shadows of Berlin is an apt title for this book as the shadows of the atrocities and betrayals visited upon the Jews in Germany (and elsewhere) follow Rachel to America and affect all the days of her life. She marries, but her survivor guilt and what is now called post traumatic stress infiltrate this relationship.

It took me a while to get into and appreciate this book.  It is at its best with its detailed descriptions of New York in the 1950s and when Rachel’s reflects back to the unimaginable horrors of Berlin under the Nazis.  Characterization was well developed, although I felt the husband was quite unlikable, presented almost as  a caricature.  

This is a well written, worthwhile book.  If you have initial difficulty reading it, I encourage you to stick with it.  

The past few years, I’ve read quite a bit of historical fiction about the World War II era and its after effects.  At first, I saw them as lessons for our times, but now, with what is going on in the world, I keep asking: How can this be happening again?

Thanks to #netgalley and #sourcebookslandmark  for the DRC. 

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