The beloved author of Not Our Kind and The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights returns with a story of secrets, friendship, and betrayal about two young women at Vassar in the years after World War II, a powerful and moving tale of prejudice and pride that echoes the cultural and social issues of today. Anne Bishop seems like a typical Vassar freshman—one of a popular group of privileged WASP friends. None of the girls in her circle has any idea that she's Jewish, or that her real name is or that her real first name is Miriam Pretending to be a Gentile has made life easier—as Ava, she no longer suffers the snubs, snide remarks, and daily restrictions Jews face. She enjoys her college life of teas, late-night conversations, and mixers. She turns a blind eye to the casual anti-Semitism that flourishes among her friends and classmates—after all, it's no longer directed at her. But her secret life is threatened when she becomes fascinated by a girl not in her crowd. Delia Goldhush is sophisticated, stylish, brilliant, and unashamedly Jewish—and seems not to care that she's an outcast among the other students. Knowing that her growing closeness with Delia would be social suicide if it were discovered, Ava keeps their friendship quiet. Delia seems to understand—until a cruelty on Ava's part drives them apart and sends them scattering to other corners of the world, alone and together.
"Gilli Messer gives a grand performance in this historical novel about two young Jewish women. Miriam Bishop, who goes by Anne, and Delia Goldhush both attend Vassar College in the late 1940s. Jewish students are rare on campus, and while Delia is proudly open about her religion, Anne tries to pass as Christian. After Delia is expelled from Vassar in an incident in which Anne played a part, they both end up in Paris where they accidentally meet at a gallery. On display there is artwork by Delia's mother, who disappeared during the Holocaust. Messer's nuanced narration peels away the layers of both women, whose reserves are up after difficult upbringings: Delia and her father fled France during the Occupation, and Anne has recently lost both parents. M.J. � AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine"
