cover image SONGBIRD

SONGBIRD

Walter Zacharius, . . Atria, $24 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-7434-8211-0

Many within the publishing industry and some without will recognize the author, for he's the near legendary founder of numerous houses and imprints including Kensington, Zebra and Arabesque—and at age 80, is publishing his first novel. But it's what's between the covers that counts, and Zacharius has written a romantic tale of a young Jewish woman's struggle with the Nazis that will entrance many readers. The novel divides into three sections, following, respectively, the destruction of the life of privileged young Polish Jew Mia Levy as the Nazis invade Poland and, eventually, send her family to Treblinka, even as she takes refuge with the Resistance and escapes to America; Mia's sojourn in Brooklyn, where she falls in love with a young musician, then is recruited by American military intelligence; and her return as a spy to Europe, where she joins a brothel catering to high-ranking Nazis and takes her revenge. The longest, strongest section is the first, distinguished by Zacharius's meticulous recreation of Polish Jewish life under early Nazi occupation—scenes set within Jewish ghettos are harrowing and unforgettable. The American sequence offers welcome respite from the previous horrors. The final section occasionally slides into luridness, as Mia works as a dominatrix binding and whipping Nazis, but here and throughout, the narrative will sweep readers along with its large passions and clever plotting; also worthy is the author's ability to narrate convincingly from the POV of a young woman. This is one of this year's more unusual and captivating debut novels. (Sept.)