Anna Schrrle’s debut novel is a fast-moving suspense tale about a national disgrace, an intricate conspiracy, and a gripping ending. When Anna returns home to New York City from her first semester abroad, she takes a look back at her past and makes some very personal decisions concerning her future. Nationality is all tied up in the matter of a stolen American Express card, which opens up a world of political intrigue and a very strong case of identity theft for Anna and her new flame, Gabrielle. Although there are many complex characters and intricate situations to take care of, the book really picks up pace near the end when the clock is ticking and the stakes are high.
I especially like how Anna repeatedly reminds herself, “You can’t live in the past” as she searches for answers and meaning in her chaotic personal time. In an interesting twist, Gabrielle had been told she had German heritage by her father, yet he was born in Italy and therefore not German. He had always had a vague idea that his birth happened close to where Anna was born but never explained why. His explanation that there were no records available because America was not a major country during Anna’s time in the United States convinced Anna that her family was in fact German. This detail was charming and it made the story more heartfelt as Anna tried desperately not to wallow in her past.
Anna’s determination to learn what really happened in her life, and how her parents died, kept me reading. Some of her descriptions of the old New York are disturbing. Her descriptions of the Potomac and Hudson Valley areas are also haunting. I especially enjoyed the portions describing the social life of upper class women during the Gilded Age. Anna Schrrle knows how to set a scene and she captured so much of America’s history in this short book. I would read this again, trying to put the pieces back together.