The Speed of Light

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Three unforgettable souls must overcome the tragedies of the past to reconnect with one another and the world around them in this “haunting tale of timeless secrets and timely salvation” (Booklist, starred review).

“A resonating novel about silence and sharing, about the mystery and pain of the past and how it must be reclaimed.”—Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, award-winning author of The Mistress of Spices

Every family has a story. Every story, eventually, must be told.

For most of their lives, Julian Perel and his sister, Paula, lived in a house cast in silence, witnesses to a father struggling with a devastating secret too painful to share. Though their father took his demons to the grave, his past refuses to rest.

As adults, brother and sister struggle to find their voices. A scientist governed by numbers and logic, Julian now lives an ordered life of seclusion. In contrast, Paula, an aspiring opera singer, is always moving, buoyant with sound. Yet both their lives will change forever. Before embarking on a European tour, Paula asks her housekeeper, Sola, to watch over Julian. But Sola, too, has a story.

As Paula uncovers pieces of her father’s early life in Budapest and the horrifying truth of his past, Julian bears witness to Sola’s story—revelations that help all three learn how to both surrender and revere the shadows that have followed them for so long.