And After the Fire

Historical fiction about the original score of a Bach cantata whose words were representative of the hatred for Jews in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story is told in alternate chapters– present day NYC and the earlier time period mentioned above. In NYC, Susanna, of Jewish faith, found the document in cleaning out her uncle's home after his death. She sets out to determine if the cantata is original. The alternating chapters tell the story of ownership of the cantata through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, until her WWII soldier uncle takes it from a palace in Germany in 1945 at the same time he murders a young girl in cold blood. as the war was coming to a close. The story itself is interesting and sheds light on the plight of the Jews through the ages. Susanna has her own personal scars she is trying to overcome and through the act of her research she finds herself connected to her faith in a way she never was before. It also inspired her interest in finding her ancestors who perished in the camps, a subject her family would never discuss. When writing about the history of the time, the author has my attention. But the interpersonal relationships of the characters were not well-developed and were written in a very simplistic manner. That is my only criticism of the book. All in all, a pleasant, interesting story.

3.5