By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Missing facts: what someone doesn’t know can have a profound effect on their lives. Learning the truth can not only change how a person feels about the past, but the ongoing directions of their lives. Two recent novels show the way characters process secrets. While “The Sound of a Thousand Stars” by Rachel Robbins (Alcove Press) focuses on how political and personal secrets can create divisions between two characters, learning the truth about the past changes the personal and professional life of the main character in “Klara’s Truth” by Susan Weissback Friedman (She Writes Press). 
“The Sound of a Thousand Stars” focuses on two Jewish characters who find themselves working at Los Alamos in 1944. Neither Alice Kath, a physicist who struggles to be taken seriously by her fellow scientists, nor Caleb Blum, who works for the explosives division, knows the purpose of their research. Alice, who comes from a rich, upper class, secular Jewish family, believes in the beauty of pure science and feels that J. Robert Oppenheimer, who had been her professor, would never be on the wrong side of history. Caleb, who belongs to a poor Orthodox family, agreed to work at Los Alamos so he can send money to his parents who are at risk of losing their home. While Caleb is no longer a believer in God, he struggles with his ingrained Jewish practice, including eating the non-kosher food available. Although Caleb loves science and wants to get an advanced degree, he doesn’t believe he will ever be able to afford it.
Any reader who knows history will know the final focus of their research. When they do discover the truth, both are greatly distressed because they know they could be unleashing the end of the world. Although Alice and Caleb are attracted to each other, they have difficulty connecting because neither is completely open about their past. Caleb doesn’t tell Alice how poor he is and how every penny of his salary is sent to his parents; Alice doesn’t discuss her fiancé, to whom she became engaged to please her parents. There is no real love in that relationship, especially since her fiancé denigrates her work, something her parents also don’t take seriously. 
As a counterpoint to the novel’s personal aspects (including real-life characters who wander through its pages), it features chapters called “T-Minus” that begin in 1996 and move backward in time. They focus on Haruki Sato, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima. These sections add great depth as readers learn how one person’s life was affected by the research facilitated by Alice and Caleb.
These counterpoints make “The Sound of a Thousand Stars” a powerful, moving story. Robbins notes that her grandparents worked at Los Alamos, but never discussed that part of their lives. Whether or not she accurately portrays their history, Robbins has written a gripping work that raises more questions than it answers. That, however, makes it perfect for book clubs and discussion groups.
While Robbins’ novel offers insights into several characters, “Klara’s Truth” focuses on archeology professor Klara Lieberman who, in 2014, learns a family secret that makes her completely re-evaluate her life. This occurs when Klara’s mother tells her that Klara’s father had not deserted the family, but died in a train accident on the way to a job interview in another city. Over the years, her mother had refused to discuss him, making Klara feel unloved and neglected. Klara learned that her mother refused to pay for his burial, leaving his sister in Poland to bring him back to the country he escaped before World War II. The reason behind the revelation is that Klara’s mother is now seeking reparation money from Poland and wants Klara to do the same.
Klara, instead, becomes intrigued by her family history. Long interested in the history of other cultures, she now wants to know more about her Jewish past. Arranging for a semester’s sabbatical, Klara travels to Poland. However, not all the members of her father’s family welcome her. While her aunt is overjoyed to meet her niece, Klara’s cousin does not trust her, especially since their attempts to contact Klara over the years failed. She worries that Klara is only interested in the money owed them.
Klara learns about two different aspects of the past: about her father from reading the letters he wrote to his sister noting his love for his daughter, and about how the Polish Jewish community has changed since World War II. Her research includes visiting almost-forgotten Jewish cemeteries across the country. When visiting her father’s grave, she meets Filip, who first learned of his Jewish heritage when his mother was on her deathbed. Klara and Filip are attracted to each other, but Klara has trust issues that have prevented her in the past from fully opening herself up to another human being.
The writing in “Klara’s Truth” is plain and blunt. Its pleasures are Klara’s story and its discussion of the Jewish community in Poland. Although parts of the plot are not completely resolved, that makes the novel’s ending feel realistic and satisfying.