{"product_id":"and-after-the-fire-9780062428516","title":"And After the Fire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNational Jewish Book Award Winner \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e-bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eA Fierce Radiance\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCity of Light\u003c\/em\u003e returns with a new 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara, and their families, \u003cem\u003eAnd After the Fire\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBelfer, Lauren:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eLauren Belfer's novel \u003cem\u003eA Fierce Radiance\u003c\/em\u003e was named a \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e Best Novel; an NPR Best Mystery; and a \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e Editors' Choice. Her debut novel, \u003cem\u003eCity of Light\u003c\/em\u003e, was a \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestseller as well as a number one Book Sense pick; a \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Notable Book\u003c\/em\u003e; a \u003cem\u003eLibrary Journal Best Book\u003c\/em\u003e; and a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. She lives in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50409527410962,"sku":"9780062428516","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_baea43b3-c429-4dc1-bfab-8fb3459fc9f0.jpg?v=1729289747","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/and-after-the-fire-9780062428516","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}