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One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister's No Two Persons is "a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives."
That was the beauty of books, wasn't it? They took you places you didn't know you needed to go…
Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice's novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.
Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways―and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.
What are some books you loved reading in 2024?
...standouts from this year for me: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (also a great audio book!) Non Fiction An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (In the audiobook edition, there are marvelous instances of p...
-Diane_Jones
"I loved this delightful gem of a novel: a deeply satisfying, unique reading experience. If you're passionate about reading I know you'll be passionate about this book." ―Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author
"In her lyrical, haunting new novel, No Two Persons, Erica Bauermeister shares the unexpected, exquisite ways in which one special book transforms its readers' lives. As the novel-within-the-novel passes through the hands of a vast array of people―ranging from an actor to a swimmer to a homeless student, among others―it acts as a guide for the lost, serving in different manners for different readers. A wondrous ode to the power of fiction, No Two Persons will linger with its readers in much the same way its fictional novel remained with its characters." ―Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author
"Rendered in precise and distilled prose, No Two Persons beautifully explores the connections that save us, the traumas that shape us, and the power of words and story to heal us. With spot-on descriptions and a keen understanding of human vulnerability, Erica Bauermeister has written a book filled with power and grace that will utterly transform its reader. A large-hearted, wise, and magnificent novel." ―Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop and Together Tea
This information about No Two Persons was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo courtesy of Author
Erica Bauermeister is the author of The School of Essential Ingredients (Jan 2009), a novel about eight students and their cooking teacher set in a restaurant kitchen. Her non-fiction work includes 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide and Let's Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. She received a Ph.D. in literature from the University of Washington and has taught at both U.W. and Antioch. Her love of slow food and slow living was inspired during the two years she spent living with her husband and two children in northern Italy. She currently lives in Seattle with her family.
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