The glass chateau : a novel
(Book)

June 1945. Even as the people of France celebrate the end of World War II, they are overwhelmed by the recovery work which lies ahead. Every bridge, road, and rail line, every church, school, and hospital has been destroyed. Disparate factions, from Communists to Resistance fighters to those who supported appeasement of the Nazis, must somehow unite and rebuild their devastated country. Asher lost his family during the war, and in revenge, he served as an assassin in the Resistance. Burdened by grief and guilt, he wanders the blasted countryside, stunned by what has become of his life. When he arrives at Le Chateau Guerin, all he seeks is a decent meal. Instead, he finds a sanctuary, an unexpected oasis, though it is filled with people who are every bit as damaged as he. Asher is welcomed into a community of wounded souls who are recovering by learning how to turn sand into glass and glass into windows for the bombed-out cathedrals of France. As Asher finds solace in glassmaking, e discovers he has a genuine talent for it. Despite its mission of healing and art, the peace at Le Chateau Guerin is as fragile as glass, and its traumatized inhabitants wrestle with their sorrow and rage. The men are helped by women who give them meals, shelter, purpose, and in Asher's case, a relationship which rekindles his capacity for love. But Asher has a secret he fears will jeopardize his place at the chateau. And he is not the only one with something to hide. As the stories of the chateau's inhabitants are revealed, Asher and the other artisans struggle toward painstaking recovery, and one remarkable woman offers them all a lesson: repair a window, heal a man, rebuild a nation.