And After the Fire

<p><strong>National Jewish Book Award Winner</strong></p><p><strong>The <em>New York Times </em>bestselling author of <em>A Fierce Radiance</em> and <em>City of Light</em> returns with a powerful and passionate novel--inspired by historical events--about two women one European and one American and the mysterious choral masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach that changes both their lives.</strong></p><p>In the ruins of Germany in 1945 at the end of World War II American soldier Henry Sachs takes a souvenir an old music manuscript from a seemingly deserted mansion and mistakenly kills the girl who tries to stop him.</p><p>In America in 2010 Henry's niece Susanna Kessler struggles to rebuild her life after she experiences a devastating act of violence on the streets of New York City. When Henry dies soon after she uncovers the long-hidden music manuscript. She becomes determined to discover what it is and to return it to its rightful owner a journey that will challenge her preconceptions about herself and her family's history--and also offer her an opportunity to finally make peace with the past.</p><p>In Berlin Germany in 1783 amid the city's glittering salons where aristocrats and commoners Christians and Jews mingle freely despite simmering anti-Semitism Sara Itzig Levy a renowned musician conceals the manuscript of an anti-Jewish cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach an unsettling gift to her from Bach's son her teacher. This work and its disturbing message will haunt Sara and her family for generations to come.</p><p>Interweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara and their families <em>And After the Fire</em> traverses over two hundred years of history from the eighteenth century through the Holocaust and into today seamlessly melding past and present real and imagined. Lauren Belfer's deeply researched evocative and compelling narrative resonates with emotion and immediacy.</p>