cover image Rembrandt’s Shadow

Rembrandt’s Shadow

Janet Lee Berg. Post Hill, $15 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-68261-143-2

Sylvie Beckman, the daughter of highly esteemed Dutch art dealer Josef Rosenberg, always felt her dad loved his art more than her until the day she learned he traded a Rembrandt to save her from the Nazis. Used to an extravagant lifestyle, Sylvie’s life of comfort all changed drastically in WWII even though her family was considered “protected” due to the valuable painting. Forty years after the war, Sylvie is living in New York when her son, Michael, decides to enlist in the military, leaving to fight in the Vietnam War in part to escape Sylvie’s demanding ways. Michael’s girlfriend, Angela Martino, receives an unexpected call from Sylvie when Michael begins to write about the unresolved family past and Sylvie’s distaste for Angela. Wishing to reconcile with her son, Sylvie takes it upon herself to explain her past to Angela, divulging the truth behind the magnificent painting that saved her life and made her complicit in the tragedies of war. Love transcending dark times and the importance of remembering the past are Berg’s (Glitz of the Hamptons) primary concerns, and the plot suffers without more to drive the action. The abrupt transitions between characters and time frames, as well as some overdetailing, make the story difficult to follow, but readers will find an affecting depiction of the horrors of the Dutch Holocaust and the effects of family secrets that can linger for generations. (Sept.)