A review by stacyroth
Shadows of Berlin by David R. Gillham

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Rashka Morgenstern survived World War II, despite living underground in Germany as a Jew.  Her mother died at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and now her only living family member is her uncle Fritz.  In 1948, the two move to New York City, where Rashka changes her name to Rachel to fit in better and marries American-born Jew Aaron Perlman.  Rachel struggles with depression and survivor’s guilt about the things she had to do to survive the Holocaust.  When her Uncle Fritz finds one of her mom’s paintings in a pawn shop in Brooklyn, the ghosts and memories haunt her become more vivid and terrifying than ever.  Can Rachel learn to forgive herself and move on? 

This novel is definitely more of a character study than a plot-driven book.  There are some flashbacks to Rachel’s years in Germany, but the bulk of the story takes place in 1955 New York.  Suzanne Toren did a great job narrating the audiobook.  At 16 hours in audiobook format or over 400 pages for the written version of the book, I feel like it could have been trimmed down.  Additionally, I never connected emotionally with the characters, so the story didn’t hold my attention like I was hoping. 

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.