Three stories are told in this book by William Styron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Styron): a young Southerner wants to become a writer; a turbulent love-hate affair between a brilliant Jew and a beautiful Polish woman; and of an awful wound in that woman’s past – one that impels both Sophie and Nathan toward destruction.
Made into a memorable film (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084707/) in 1982 with Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Rita Karin and Peter MacNicol. Available on DVD at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophies-Choice-Special-Meryl-Streep/dp/B000O79FOQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1387129799&sr=1-1&keywords=sophie%27s+choice
The novel was first published in 1979.
656 pages in Vintage Classics paperback edition
ISBN 978-0099470441
William Styron