Restitution

by Janet Lee Berg

Sylvie Rosenberg was once the aristocratic daughter of a prominent Dutch art dealer, until the Nazi invasion of Holland changed everything. Forced to part with his astonishing collection of masterpieces, her father managed to trade a Rembrandt for the lives of twenty-five family members, including Sylvie. Many years later, in America, Sylvie is on a path of self-destruction, still equating love with all the "things" that were taken away from her. Pocketing small items at first, eventually her hopelessness leads to a monumental betrayal, dismantling the lives of her son, Michael, a writer and Vietnam vet still struggling with the consequences of war, and his schoolteacher wife, Angela, as they struggle to fill their own void after failed attempts to conceive a child. Desperate to win back their love, Sylvie returns to her homeland to face old ghosts and the Dutch judicial system, seeking restitution of her family's masterpieces. But the battle proves far more difficult than she imagined . . . 

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2020

Reviews

[Fiona Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book, the story of a Jewish family and their quest to recover paintings taken by the Nazis

[Alyce Conlon]

Restitution like Rembrandt's Shadow is a beautifully written story, which speaks of the tragedy and cruelty of the Nazi regime and the effects of the Vietnam War. It tells of how those events profoundly changed lives. Janet Lee Berg's characters are vividly portrayed as they struggle with past and present challenges. The reader can easily feel empathy for them due to the realistic way she highlights their sorrows and joys. There is a message of the power of family love. For me this book is special since it combines drama with the humor in life. This is an excellent read for book clubs. Highly recommended.