Last Updated on January 1, 2025
Resident Barbara Johnson reviews No Two Persons: A Novel by Erica Bauermeister [New York: St. Martin’s, 2023] on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 7 PM in the Auditorium. This is her review for the January 2025 Sunburst.
“No two persons ever read the same book or saw the same picture.”
With that inviting epigraph, No Two Persons is off and running. We meet Alice Wein, a young, aspiring writer, as she creates and launches her debut novel. Then, once out in the world, Alice’s story takes the stage and enters the lives of the captivating cast of characters who stumble on her book.
We encounter, among others, a diver, an actor, a literary assistant, an artist, and intriguingly, a film intimacy coordinator. Their stories highlight the many roles that books play in our lives: how we find them-how they find us!-and the ways books can open our hearts and drive us along, if we let them.
Both writers and readers find something to admire about this creative novel. Beautiful writing and inventive storytelling appeal to a range of booklovers. Fiction enthusiasts will find it especially satisfying.
Author Erica Bauermeister is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including The Scent Keeper and The School of Essential Ingredients. She is also the co-author of two readers’ guides:500 Great Books by Women and Let’s Hear it for the Girls.
Resident Barbara Johnson has lived at Charlestown since 2018. She finally retired last year. A book lover and avid reader, she counts her 12-year stint as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble among her favorite jobs. This is her first book review.