SHADOWS of BERLIN by David R. Gillham - Review & Giveaway

Rachel survives WWII in Berlin hiding with her painter, mother as an U-boat girl, but once she arrives in New York City, surviving doesn't mean she's left the horrors of war behind. Her mother doesn't survive, but in Berlin Rachel finds herself under the control of a Jewess, who is called "The Angel of Death," because she turns Jews over to the Nazis. Their arrangement saves Rachel. David R. Gillham once again looks back at WWII for his new novel, SHADOWS of BERLIN (Sourcebooks). For Rachel, a displaced Jew, the past is as close as the present.

Rachel arrives in New York City with her Uncle Fritz who survived the war doing "what he had to do to survive." Once in America, Rachel marries Aaron, "a nice boy from Flatbush," who has no idea what she has experienced in Berlin. She sees a psychiatrist weekly, which Aaron reminds her is costing them a lot of money. Aaron's family warmly accepts her into the family but doesn't understand what she has faced and often find themselves walking on eggshells.

Rachel does her best to try and become an "American Housewife," but she is unable to outrun her guilt. It's when her Uncle discovers one of her mother's paintings in a pawn shop that the memories begin to terrorize her, forcing Rachel to face what choices she made to survive.

SHADOWS of BERLIN takes us from cafes in Berlin to manic 1950's Manhattan where one is constantly on the move. It's all about trying to find the peace and forgiveness you don't believe you deserve to survive a new chapter in your life. Rachel is completely broken down in order to take baby steps towards her future. SHADOWS of BERLIN is about guilt and forgiveness, love and loss and the long lasting memories and shadows of the dead which remain with the living.

David R. Gillham is the New York Times bestselling author of City of Women and the author of Annelies: A Novel of Anne Frank.

He studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California before transitioning into fiction. After moving to New York City, Gillham spent more than a decade in the book business, and he now lives with his family in Western Massachusetts.

Thanks to BookBrowse and SourcebooksLandmark we have one copy to giveaway. Just tell us the latest book you've read about guilt and redemption. We'll announce a winner soon. Good luck.

GIVEAWAY: USA only please