Sometimes, it’s hard to describe a book without spoilers. Erica Bauermeister’s latest novel, No Two Persons, is one of those books. She says the title comes from a quote. “No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture”, from The Writings of Madame Swetchine, 1860. No Two Persons is for those who want a story about books and words, and the power of both to change lives. It’s not one story, although characters pop into someone else’s story for a minute or two. It’s the story of a writer, the book she had to write, and nine readers who all saw something that touched them in the book. And, I’m guessing that each of us who reads Bauermeister’s book all the way through will be touched by a different person.

Because I can’t say too much about the story, I’ll mention a few things I noticed. Most of the characters are identified only by their first names, and their role, “The Writer”, “The Caretaker”, “The Bookseller”. We know Alice Wein’s name, the author of the book, but we don’t discover that until later in the story. We know the agent’s name who accepts Alice’s manuscript, but we don’t “meet” her as a person until late in the book. But, we don’t know the last name of the new mother struggling to read manuscripts at home who discovers Alice’s story in a slush pile. There’s the handsome actor who reads the audiobook of Alice’s book, Theo. Most of the time, it’s their personal connection to Theo that is important. We don’t need to put a last name with the character.

Alice is introduced in 2010 where she lives in Maine. We learn about her loss, and her mentor, and her final attempt to break through and write the book her professor always knew she was capable of writing. The novel takes us to 2019, and we have a glimpse of Alice’s life. But, she isn’t the focus of the story. It’s her book that offers something different to nine readers. I had two favorites, and yours might not even be the same. One was Nola, a high school senior when we meet her, a girl who reads Theo in class. My other favorite is Kit, a bookseller in Maine. Kit thinks of himself as a “book yenta”, someone who matched books and customers.

I can’t say much more without spoiling this story. I can quote a passage. “Your first read of an extraordinary book is something you can only experience once.” There’s a lengthy passage about fiction and history that makes so much sense, but you need to read it for yourself.

If you love the thought of how books can transform people, you might want to read Erica Bauermeister’s story of “The Writer”, “The Assistant”, “The Teenager”, “The Caretaker”. Watch for the subtle connections between characters. You might identify with a role in No Two Persons.

Erica Bauermeister’s website is https://ericabauermeister.com/

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister. St. Martin’s Press, 2023. ISBN 9781250284372 (hardcover), 320p.

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