The Beautiful Possible
The Beautiful Possible is a literary tour de force that touches on theology and philosophy, interwoven with themes of faith, family, loss, the search for meaning and God, and the complexities of love and desire.
In a single act of violence that takes place on the cusp of World War II in Germany, Walter Westhaus, a brilliant young scholar with a promising future, loses everything. Abandoning his original plan to go to Palestine, he waits out the war in India, then makes his way to America, where he meets Sol, a young and idealistic rabbinical student. Sol is engaged to Rosalie, whose father was also a prominent rabbi. Walter, Sol and Rosalie form a complex threesome, with Rosalie and Walter embarking on a secret love affair
Over the years, the lives of the three are braided together through an invisible though sturdy thread. While Sol is trying to build a Jewish community and congregation, Rosalie raises their family, all the while trying to keep her deeply embedded feelings for Walter at bay. The book spans their youth through the end of their lives, with the narration taken over by their youngest daughter.
This epic novel, with its lyrical prose, is replete with thought-provoking questions about religion, life, grief and love. It is not a book to be read lightly, but thoughtfully, as it is sure to spark moments of introspection.
