The Kiss — Scott E. Blumenthal

WINNER: 2015 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD, HISTORICAL FICTION

GOLD MEDAL: 2014 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARD, HISTORICAL FICTION

November, 1941. War and genocide have plunged Europe into darkness. Then, a ray of sunlight: whispers of Aron Beckman, an extraordinary young Jewish musician in Poland who plays the harp that belonged to King David himself.

They say that Aron has formed a trio with two fellow prodigies, and that the music is like nothing ever heard before. That it is powerful. That it moves people to do great things. That it can bring the dead back to life.

They say the musicians can lift the darkness. And that they are on their way.

"This breathtaking novel, a musical story set against the backdrop of the Holocaust, filled with wonder and surprises...will stay with you long after you've read the last page. Blumenthal, a remarkably talented craftsman, hits all the right notes." -- Ari L. Goldman, author of The Search for God at Harvard, The Late Starters Orchestra