In the fall of 1941, German troops killed more than 15,000 Jewish residents in a two-day massacre outside the city of Rovno in Ukraine.
Rovno was a cultural pearl of the region, a place filled with musicians, writers and artists, but little has been documented about Jewish life there since almost the entire Jewish population was killed overnight. A new historical fiction novel The Kiss(Loose Leaves Publishing/2013) is trying to fill that gap; through in-depth research and interviews with survivors, author Scott Blumenthal recreated the city of Rovno as the backdrop for a story about a young Jewish musician who discovers his gift to awaken listeners’ memories to bring joy and hope at a time of mounting horror.
Host Frank Stasio talks to Scott Blumenthal about his debut novel.