Two Lives

Two Lives by Alexis Schaitkin is a sweeping work of fiction that explores the profound connections between past and present. The narrative follows Evelyn Lieberman, a woman living in a Florida retirement community whose life changes after reading a novel by Simon Glaser. She realizes the book recounts her own childhood experiences in pre-war Vienna and 1940s Yorkshire. This volume 1 story traces her journey from being sent away from Austria to her life in England alongside a Czech boy named Simon.

As Evelyn travels to London to confront the truths within Glaser's writing, she seeks to reconcile her memories with the version presented in his prose. The plot moves through post-war New York and the London literary world to uncover the real reasons behind a traumatic childhood separation. This gripping fiction examines how a single shared history can reverberate through decades, prompting a search for answers regarding a prank gone wrong and long-held mysteries.