For nine months in Auschwitz, eighteen-year-old Eva Fleiss clung to sanity by playing piano on imaginary keyboards. After liberation, Eva and the five remaining Jews of Laszlo, Hungary, journey home, seeking to restart their lives. Yet the town that deported them is not ready to embrace their return. Their former neighbors and friends resist relinquishing their newfound status and property, and they struggle with their roles as perpetrators, enablers, and bystanders during the Holocaust. Longing for connection to her old life, Eva agrees to clean her former home, now the mayor's home, in return for practice time on her piano. As her profound experiences allow her to access music at a depth she didn't know existed, Eva's performances begin to affect those around her-with unexpected consequences. " Historically and dramatically compelling , Cycon's multi-layered narrative unspools the under-reported story of endemic post-war antisemitism... A haunting, emotionally challenging read , with frightening contemporary relevance." — Kirkus Reviews (Editor's Pick 2023) A poignant tale ... about redemption and hope. - Jewish Book Council A MUST READ What a perfect representation of historical fiction. Cycon handled this dark piece of our world's history with such grace and tact it made the emotional rollercoaster he put on just jarring enough to shock; intense enough to envelope and consume; and perfectly balanced ... A beautiful piece and experience I wish I could relive all over again. - Reedsy Discovery FIVE STARS Finding Home (Hungary, 1945) by Dean Cycon is a beautifully written and engaging historical fiction that powerfully depicts the struggles of Holocaust survivors returning home. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an immersive and moving reading experience . - Goodreads FINDING HOME is a poetic, sweeping, and transportive story of Jewish returnees seeking to rebuild their lives after the war. In a world where prejudice and greed haven't ceased, and where displacement continues long after Liberation, Cycon gives us a powerful and emotional read , with faith, music, and beauty central to the search for home. -- Jennifer Rosner , award-winning author of The Yellow Bird Sings and Once We Were Home The image of Eva Fleiss playing imaginary keys at Auschwitz to contain the madness that surrounds her is the epicenter of this beautiful novel. Like Ulysses returning to Ithaca, she will face a variety of tests that will define, for her and for us, the meaning of 'home' in a disrupted world. A powerful debut! -- Ilan Stavans , Lewis-Sebring Professor at Amherst College and editor of The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories In his debut novel, FINDING HOME, Dean Cycon delves deeply into the seldom-explored story of Jewish life after the Holocaust. As survivors return home to the ruins of their former lives, they must rely on the restorative powers of hope, courage and art, as they work to heal their souls and repair the world. Cycon tells a tale that must be told with great passion and historical dedication. -- David R. Gillham , NY Times Bestselling Author of City of Women FINDING HOME by Dean Cycon is a rollercoaster ride of deep emotions as six Holocaust survivors - five men and a teenage girl - are returned to their home town in Hungary directly after the war. The anger and resentment from the townspeople who had taken over all of the Jewish houses and businesses, is palpable and disturbing. This is a truth-telling historical novel at its best , where the author has not flinched, and the reader cannot put the book down. --- Jane Yolen , author of more than 400 books including the Holocaust novels The Devil's Arithmetic, Mapping the Bones, and Briar Rose. Her book Kaddish won the Sophie Brodie medal in 2022, the same year she won Sydney Taylor Lifetime Award. FINDING HOME examines the plight of Jews returning to their homes in Hungary after the end of World War II—their relations with the post-war gentile community, the complexity of the emotions and issues involved, and the search for hope among ruins. I cared deeply about these characters, particularly the ambitious and strong-willed musician at the book's center, and my eyes filled with tears—not just of sadness, but of love—many times. I loved this novel, and recommend it highly. -- Mitchell James Kaplan , author of Rhapsody, Into the Unbounded Night and By Fire, By Water It is often said that it is difficult to convey the feelings and emotions of music in a novel. In his debut, Dean Cycon has done that admirably. His protagonist tries to use music to heal both her own trauma from the war, as well as that of other survivors. She further attempts to harness the power of music as a transcendent force to combat hatred, with heart-rending results. FINDING HOME is a sobering yet beautiful exploration in which Cycon speaks with a strong, literate, and powerful new voice . -- Howard Jay Smith , author of Meeting Mozart and Be