title: Circle in the Water
author: Berman, Joel
description: Without warning, a small group of political radicals in Rome detonates a homemade bomb in an area crowded with up-scale shoppers--and the lives of many innocents are suddenly changed forever. Among them is Angela Bernard, a radiantly beautiful American university professor on her honeymoon, who is hit full-force by the blast and her face is torn apart. Jean-Pierre, her wealthy husband, who had been enchanted by her beauty and raw erotic nature, is now tragically confronted by terrible questions about loyalty to a wife whose mind and body are shattered. Further, and unknown to either of them, is the fact that Angela is pregnant, though she will ultimately discover that the child's father is not Jean-Pierre. Thus begun, this story of crisis and challenge unfolds on an international stage, revealing how strangers brought together by tragedy confront and struggle with passion, guilt, ambition, responsibility, and redemption. Circle in the Water is an exciting, fast-moving tale that follows the intertwined lives of six people who were profoundly affected by the bomb explosion--including two young lovers who come together years later as the book draws toward its remarkable and surprising finale.