Beautiful Possible

This epic, enthralling debut novelin the vein of Nicole Krauss The History of Lovefollows a postwar love triangle between an American rabbi, his wife, and a German-Jewish refugee.Spanning seventy years and several continentsfrom a refugees shattered dreams in 1938 Berlin, to a discontented American couple in the 1950s, to a young womans life in modern-day Jerusalemthis epic, enthralling novel tells the braided love story of three unforgettable characters. In 1946, Walter Westhaus, a German Jew who spent the war years at Tagores ashram in India, arrives at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, where he meets Sol Kerem, a promising rabbinical student. A brilliant nonbeliever, Walter is the perfect foil for Sols spiritual questionsand their extraordinary connection is too wonderful not to share with Sols free-spirited fiance Rosalie. Soon Walter and Rosalie are exchanging notes, sketches, and secrets, and begin a transcendent love affair in his attic room, a temple of dusty tomes and whispered poetry. Months later they shatter their impossible bond, retreating to opposite sides of the countryWalter to pursue an academic career in Berkeley and Rosalie and Sol to lead a congregation in suburban New York. A chance meeting years later reconnects Walter, Sol, and Rosaliecatching three hearts and minds in a complex web of desire, heartbreak, and redemption. With extraordinary empathy and virtuosic skill, The Beautiful Possible considers the hidden boundaries of marriage and faith, and the mysterious ways we negotiate our desires.