Cassandra

“BARONESS” von Brauchitsch, the silken-voiced singer of The Blue Phoenix, was born with a phenomenal gift — the ability to see the future. But her blessing is also her curse, since no one believes her when she makes pronouncements of things to come. As a child in Dresden, Fraulein von Brauchitsch saw D-Day unfolding over Normandy, and had visions of a mushroom cloud hanging over a city to the east. As an adult, she foresees the wall rise in Berlin, a wall to divide families, a barrier to split communities, a threshold to cut the soul of humanity. And there is only one man in the world who is convinced of her gift; a man who loves her, a Russian diplomat. But does he also take advantage of her talent for his own benefit?

Jeremy Whetstone, the narrator, is an American doctor running from his past. Tormented by a mistake that took the life of his childhood friend, Whetstone flees as far away from the States as he can, to seek refuge in debauchery, carousal, and indiscreet sex. Accepting a job as a medical attaché in Berlin, he spends his days wallowing in remorse and reminiscing about the war, even as his bosses deprecate his professional judgement, and mock his skills as a surgeon.

This is when fate brings the baroness to his clinic one eerie morning-after. He calls her Cassandra, the woman who holds keys that open the doors of secrets, including the one that would help redeem Jeremy’s life. The very one that might also take the life of the man who gave her refuge, her Russian benefactor.

Author: Gail Chua

Format: Paperback