The Rhythm of Memory
by Alyson Richman

In this sweeping epic, true love transcends the brutality of war.

Octavio Ribeiro loves truth, beauty, literature, and above all else, his wife Salomé. As a student in Chile, he courted her with the words of great poets, and she fell in love with his fierce intelligence and uncompromising passion. Then a sudden coup brings a brutal military dictatorship into power, and puts anyone who resists in grave danger.

Salomé begs Octavio to put his family’s safety first, rather than speak against the new regime. When he refuses, it’s Salomé who pays the price.

Belatedly awake to the reality of their danger, Octavio finds political asylum for the family in Sweden. But for Salomé, the path back to love is fraught with painful secrets, and the knowledge that they can never go home again.

Originally published October 2004 in hardcover as SWEDISH TANGO by Atria Books.

Other Books by Alyson Richman

A Splendid Gift

The Garden of Letters

Grand Central
Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion

The Mask Carver's Son

The Lost Wife

Swedish Tango

Alyson Richman's Bio

Alyson Richman is the author of: The Mask Carver’s Son, Swedish Tango, and The Last Van Gogh. As of next year, her novels will be published in more than ten languages. Her books have received both national and international critical acclaim, having been reviewed favorably in The New York Times Book Review, The Dallas Morning News, The San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, and many other national print outlets. The Last Van Gogh was nominated as a Book Sense Notable Pick in 2006. She has appeared on both national television and radio syndicates promoting her work. A graduate of Wellesley College and a former Thomas J. Watson Fellow, she currently lives with her husband and children in Long Island, New York. Her fourth novel, The Lost Wife, will be published in September 2011.