With more than 40 books under her writing belt, one might wonder what new stories Kimberley Woodhouse could come up with. Well, there is always one more story to tell, and this one, per the book’s introduction, is one that she’d been sitting on and stewing over for many years.
Woodhouse found “A Song in the Dark” a challenging story to bring to life—one that entailed a ton of research and “countless boxes of Kleenex”—as she reviewed Holocaust survivor accounts.
One such account was of Otto Weidt, who helped blind and deaf Jews escape the Nazis. Weidt himself, nearly blind, served as the inspiration for Woodhouse’s main character, Chaisley Frappier, in her latest historical novel.
A Musical Prodigy
The story starts in 1918, when Europe is at the tail-end of World War I. In London, 10-year-old Chaisley is celebrating her birthday. She has just received a beautiful Steinway piano from her parents and had finished a three-hour lesson with a newly hired piano teacher. Despite not having prior experience, she is able to pick up quickly and play as if she had been playing for quite some time. Her teacher mutters that he has never seen anything like that before—a virtuoso if there ever was one.
But that night, while the Frappiers step out for a celebratory dinner, a bomb strikes their car and her parents are killed instantly. Chaisley didn’t just lose her parents; she also loses her eyesight.
Now blind, she lives in her London home with her grandmother as she recuperates from her injuries. She has to learn braille and other life skills associated with her impairment. But, the urge to play the piano serves as a catalyst for her to push forward and bring to fruition the songs brewing within her heart. She learns to play the piano despite her blindness, and this allows her to break through her grief, and finally gain the hope that life has still so much to offer.
A Time to Act
In 1938, Rick Zimmerman is introduced as a British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) officer based in Berlin. He is trying to get ahold of his contacts, as the Gestapo’s tentacles slowly squeeze out every last outsider and squelch media reports of the atrocities taking place in Nazi Germany. In a secret message, he receives his next assignment—in Holland, as a chauffeur to a famous concert pianist.
Chaisley, now an adult, has gained fame and prominence as a virtuoso pianist. She is gearing up for a months-long European concert tour, and her first stop is at her grandmother’s native Holland. As Chaisley’s eyes are (figuratively) opened to the events unfolding throughout continental Europe, she needs to listen to her heart. She feels called to help save the physically impaired and disabled from being taken away to camps. She needs to find the courage to do so.
Together with her personal assistant and closest friend, Melanie, and the newly hired Rick as their chauffeur-cum-bodyguard, they need to learn to trust each other as they embark on this dangerous mission. At the same time, Rick must continue to do his work as an SIS agent.
As the trio travels through Europe for Chaisley’s scheduled performances, and, as they encounter the horrors of Nazi terrorism, they turn to each other for support. Most importantly, they turn to their faith as they seek the courage to do what they must, even if at the cost of their own lives.
Woodhouse Delivers
Woodhouse’s inspiring work juxtaposes good and evil. Through the darkness of the World War II atrocities, characters find light through their faith and prayers. Readers will find this a great contrast against everything that was evil about WWII.
The narration flows smoothly, moving along the action without too many lengthy explanations and wordy texts. There are moments of character introspection when readers feel the tension as Chaisley is presented to Hitler and wince as the Führer touts her as a model Aryan, whose disability—not from birth—did not dampen her musical talents.
The book puts the uncomfortable spotlight on another set of victims of Hitler’s quest for racial purity and those he deemed as “unworthy of life.” The disabled and those with medical conditions were euthanized to prevent them from “polluting” the gene pool and from being a financial burden to society.
To create a more ambient experience, readers might want to listen to Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu” and Franz Liszt’s transposition of Richard Wagner’s aria “Song to the Evening Star,” as they read the scenes where Chaisley plays them.
“A Song in the Dark” is an easy read on a dark topic. Woodhouse is able to help readers follow Chaisley’s growing confidence in herself as she navigates from being unable to see to being able to see what needs to be done, no matter the risks to herself.
‘A Song in the Dark’
By Kimberley Woodhouse
Bethany House Publishers: Sept. 23, 2025
Hardcover: 304 pages
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