Books by Sylvia Smoller

The poems in this book touch upon the various aspects of the human condition: loss and regret, but also joy, love and wonder. Each poem is accompanied by a work of art by an expressionist artist whose work is in the permanent collections of many notable museums. Together, the poems and art illuminate the hopes and fears of living.

How much of our lives are determined by coincidences, how much by the choices we make? And how do those choices reverberate through time to affect those we love? This sweeping, historically accurate novel tells the story of people caught in the momentous upheavals of World War II, their destinies driven by chance, by the force of their characters and by the courage of a Japanese diplomat. Set in the period from 1918 to 1945, the story explores the impact of historical and political events on individual lives, on friendship, family ties and love. Against the backdrop of Poland, London, Moscow, Japan and America, consumed by her opposing desires - to be independent yet be taken care of - Rachel, the central character, must hold love in the balance and find her own answer to Freud's famous question: What do women want?