I read this book because it was compared to Educated by Tara Westover. The main similarity is how Fremont’s identity was fashioned by her family and how love and loss seem forever entwined with familial expectations.

Fremont’s parents were survivors of WWII, but the secrets at the foundation of their relationship prove to be the undoing of the happiness and wellbeing of both of their daughters. Her relationship with her sister and parents is a tangled web that keeps you hooked until the very last page.

As i ponder this book I find it relevant to today's realities in so many ways. It is a story about immigration, about the generational evils of war, about refugees, and about the challenge of becoming a person in the midst of all these realities. The writing is exceptional because the author is measured, perhaps too measured. I found myself reading about events described dispassionately and then stopping and becoming aware of all the emotions that had to be flowing through those events. It brought back many memories of my growing up in a house of secrets. I would recommend this book enthusiastically to just about anyone who cares about our contemporary situation with tens of millions of refugees, including those coming to the US southern border trying to escape the violence in the home countries. At the end of the day, I find the title a bit perplexing because I think the author didn't escape but rather endured and ultimately survived.

The Escape Artist is a memoir focused heavily on family dynamics and mental illness. The author manages to convey what could've been an exhausting, angry, and resentful tale into a story full of hope and understanding.

Having grown up in a household full of lies and make believes, I could completely relate to Ms. Fremont's confusion and constant state of alert, not knowing when the other shoe was going to fall. What i could not relate to was her constant need of approval from the people that hurt her the most. but we're all different and react differently.

All in all, it is a good read, but I felt like a lot of questions went unanswered and now I need to read something light and fluffy after this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this follow up memoir about the life of Fremont and her family twisted by secrets. A true tribute to her marvelous ability to engage me as a reader is the fact that I remembered her earlier memoir, “After Long Silence”, so clearly.

Helen and her sister are raised by unconventional parents in a small town in upstate New York. The secret lives of her parents during WWII is at the heart of the struggle faced by Fremont. With the death of her father and the cruel rejection of his child, the reader can look back on the twisted life of this family.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read another wonderful Fremont memoir. Book clubs, look at this one for your non-fiction selection.

The author of "After Long Silence" has written a follow-up memoir that fills in the details about her dysfunctional family and her up and down relationship with her older sister,. It starts with the death of her father and the reading of his will, where she finds she has been cut out of being a beneficiary and declared legally dead. As you follow her journey back in time, you begin to see the depth of her difficulties with her family. It is a searing tale and I had to remind myself that this wasn't fictional, it was almost too far-fetched. The suffering and torment and psychological damage to her and her sister is quite devastating, yet her descriptions are vivid and ring true. This isn't a book for everyone, and can be read independently of the first memoir. But I found it very worthwhile, even helpful for my own family dynamics.

This is the memoir of a daughter of Holocaust survivors. She and her sister grew up in a house full of secrets, which led to mental issues for the two daughters. The life story was well written, fascinating, sad, maddening and thoroughly engrossing. This book would make an excellent book club selection. I think most people will find it as interesting as I did.

According to the science of epigenetics, the environment in which a person lives can affect the DNA of subsequent generations. The Escape Artist shows how this works. Fremont's parents are Holocaust survivors, and Helen and her sister are both scarred by the experience. They grow up in secrecy, in a remarkably dysfunctional household, and spend their lives hating and loving one another, connecting and reconnecting with one another. Their parents are distant, but they try to do the right things, even though they aren't always up to it. It's a remarkably sad and disturbing story that underscores the sorrow that awaits the children of war, such as those now detained at the American/Mexican border. The damage does not die when the war veterans do—their children carry it on unknowingly. I did not necessary enjoy this book—it felt far too disjointed for me. But I can see that is Fremont's point—she shows how this happens, and throws us into the chaos she lived. I'd have liked a clearer story arc, more time in the present, a bit more analysis of how either sister could now be a functioning adult. But that is not the book Fremont wrote. This was not an enjoyable read, but it was an educational and thoughtful one. I applaud Fremont for her honesty in facing her family's demons. I have no idea how you move through a life like this, let alone write about it.

I love interesting memoirs and this one is wonderful. I especially enjoyed the psychological aspects of Fremont's story and her writing style.

This book was an emotional journey of a family built on deception and deceit. Lara and Helen both suffered as a result of family secrets. Told from Helen’s point of view, I could feel her disappointments in her quest to gain her parent’s approval throughout her entire life.

The Escape Artist

After giving myself a day or two to decompress upon completing The Escape Artist, I dethroned Education on the top of my Goodreads/Listopia of Memoirs that are better than fiction.

Helen Fremont’s parents were Holocaust survivors, living through the absolute unimaginable. Her father had a physical limitation resulting from the abuse he endured and regularly suffered from night terrors. Her mother was would often lament that she wished she had died in the camps, and it seemed the only thing that brought her solace was daily correspondence and periodic visits with her sister, who lived in Italy.

Helen’s older sister, Lara, was mentally ill and physically, verbally, and psychologically abusive to Helen. The household revolved around Lara’s state-of-mind, and rather than protecting Helen from the abuse, the attention and focus went to pacifying Lara. The family bonded together in keeping their turmoil to themselves. Helen thought that the secrets they were hiding were about Lara’s mental illness and the abuse she meted out but later discovered her parents had been lying and keeping secrets from the girls too.

The abuse and insanity Helen endured and concealed took a toll on her emotional stability. She suffered bouts of depression, eating disorders, and suicidal ideations. She struggled with her sexual identity. Both Lara and Helen were extremely bright, one on track to become a doctor and the other a lawyer. When Lara wasn’t forcefully pushing Helen away, they were the best of friends, and enjoyed hiking and running together, and bonding over their suicidal thoughts.

Sisterhood, lies, and an inability to break a disastrous cycle were significant themes in the book. Unfortunately for Helen, the cycle comes to an abrupt halt when Helen’s father dies. She thought they were in a healing phase, only to discover her father amended his will to erase her from their lives. Worse yet, her mother facilitated the act, and her sister was likely complicit, although neither uttered a word during the funeral and weeks following. Helen’s pain and confusion are palpable and now live inside me.

The Escape Artist is Helen’s second biography, and I’ve added After Long Silence to my TBR pile. Thank you, Helen Fremont, for sharing your harrowing story, and NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On page 222, Helen declares to sister Lara: “Our family is a disaster. The Holocaust didn’t just affect mom and dad; it affected all of us!”

While every family has its own modicum of dysfunction, this family had more than their share. There were times when things seem ordinary and well adjusted. No one outside truly knows what happens behind closed doors. Still, the family was knit together by love or something like that

The Escape Artist, Helen Fremont comes after the publication of her first memoir entitled, After Long Silence. then, The Escape Artist defines her family and their reactions to the writing and publicising the family secrets.

I wasn’t aware there was a first book until I read this one and it does work as a stand-alone, although I do plan to read her prequel. As I read the words in the book, seemed the author herself was attempting to make sense of her life by putting it in writing. this must have been a huge outlet for Helen.

As the book opens, you learn the ending of the story where Helen’s mother legally “kills” her off like a character simply written out of a series and then listed as having predeceased her father in a codicil to his will.

if you wish to read a happy story, put this one down. If you wish to read a raw account of life as it happens, this book is fascinating.

Lara and Helen are about my age now and I’d love to know how their lives are progressing. I was happy they found partners to marry and wish them great happiness, they deserve.

An engaging memoir that details the author's life from childhood through adulthood, including the point at which she finds herself being declared "dead" in a codicil of her father's will after his death. The family relationships, at least as she remembers them, are fraught with such a mixture of feelings and confusion as to what to expect next. Her parents were survivors of World War II and for the most part chose to reveal very little to their daughters. But the secrets they kept were far more complicated and powerful than the author and her sister knew until much, much later. The book also deals with the author's slow realization of her sexual orientation and while that is not the main focus of the book it does showcase a relatable experience that readers will recognize. It was a quick read because I couldn't believe how the family acted and I wanted to keep going to find out what happened next. While most people will be able to relate to the way families try to keep some things secret or private about their lives and present a certain image to the world, this particular family was hiding some much bigger things than most.

Helen Fremont has written a vivid, moving memoir of her life as the daughter of two Holocaust survivors who live with the secrets and horrors of their past. Helen and her sister Lara are embroiled in a fierce, mostly adversarial relationship, and they continue the secretive family tradition throughout their childhoods and early adulthoods.
Helen also has a secret about her sexuality which complicates her life and her family interactions. Great read!

Promo for The Escape Artist compares it to The Glass Castle, which is a total mistake as The Escape Artist lacks the power and style of The Glass Castle. It's another dysfunction junction memoir, and it isn't bad, but comparing it to The Glass Castle left me expecting more.

This memoir was written by a woman who grew up in a house where the mother coddled the oldest daughter while the father was silent and stayed at work mostly. The oldest daughter had anger issues and acted out against her sister, who was told by the mother that she just didn't understand her sister. Both young women end up in therapy...

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ebook ARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.


I am torn about this one. I enjoyed the forthcoming frankness that Helen Fremont expresses in the work, and she has a gift for writing and conveying emotion on the page. I also appreciate the major courage it must take to talk about mental illness and family secrets that this book is centered around. Fremont cleverly explores the relationship she has or does not have with her sister throughout their lifetime, and I can completely relate to that aspect of this work.
I sway from enjoying this book because it seems the author has not taken the time, even with seeming years of therapy, to understand and have compassion for those struggling with mental illness, even when she is one of the struggling ones.

Overall, I think I would recommend this book to others. 2.5 stars.

Helen Fremont grew up in a household held together by a powerful secret. Her parents, profoundly affected by their memories of the Holocaust, pass on to Helen and her older sister, a penchant for compartmentalization, dysfunction, and trauma. No matter what happens, it's them against the world.
"The Escape Artist" takes readers on a journey through Fremont's life as she strives to escape her abusive family and make her own way in the world. It starts with her discovery as an adult that she's been disowned by her father with help from her mother and sister. Then, Fremont shares stories from her childhood, including dysfunction, physical, emotional and verbal abuse, mental health challenges, and suicide. Through it all, her family members never get real with each other and turn on anyone who tries to escape their family. An escapee would threaten the secret thread that binds them together.
I admit that I was glued to this story out of curiosity and rubbernecking. It does flow fairly well and details what a family looks like when they're stuck in trauma and drama.
While this book is a sequel, it can stand alone. Fremont does reveal the big secret at the end, the same one she tells in her first book. I found it annoying, though, that she mentions the big secret at the end of almost every chapter but doesn't do a big reveal until the end - I didn't appreciate being strung along.
I couldn't sleep after reading this book. And it's one that I'll think about for a long time.
Note: there are tons of mental health triggers in this book. Readers beware.

I wish I had the way with words that the writers of the descriptions for some of these novels have. After finishing this book up today, I went back and re-read that description, and I wonder if we were reading the same book. I didn’t find anything in here that was scorching or ultimately redemptive. Witty, yes at times.
This was not an easy book to read as we follow Helen and her sister Laura, with their totally dysfunctional family life starting as small children and into their mid years. I wouldn’t call this a bad book, it is very well written and it covers the incidents of terror, tension, stress, and the circumstances beyond a young child’s control plus a mother and father that were a big part of this lunacy.
I was most impressed that both girls were able to get as far in their education as they did and to lead almost functional lives with their volatile nature. I found this to be a depressing read, I also did not have perfect parents, but there was a time in my life where I had to cut the tie, accept their faults and move on to take responsibility for my own fate, future and dreams. I truly feel it is most important to accept yourself for who you are and not blame your life on someone else or make it your life’s work to prove to them you are worthy. Being a good person in your own eyes is the best you can ask for.
I was given an advance copy from Gallery, Pocket Books through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets 3 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, perfect for biography and auto biography enthusiasts. This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

The Escape Artist is astonishingly frank in its illustration of mental illness and realistic about the shortcomings of treatment and the unpredictability of mental health. The dysfunction in Fremont's family is a powerful reminder of how "secrets keep us sick." The authors parents, Jewish Holocaust survivors pretending to be Roman Catholics, are such victims of their own trauma that they can't begin to meet the emotional needs of their daughters. As in so many maladjusted families where mental illness and/or addiction are present, everything revolves around the sickest person, while others suffer the resulting neglect.

Early on, Fremont divulges that she has been disinherited by her family, which begs the question as to whether this is a memoir of revenge. It's certainly a "tell all" when it comes to the author's sister and, although Fremont is fairly open about her own depression and anxiety, she lacks a certain vulnerability that's necessary for me to completely empathize. And, other than Fremont's explanation that they are sisters after all, bonded by blood and family, I couldn't grasp why the author kept reconciling when her sister had so blatantly and frequently abused her. That said, I kept turning the pages...

The author clearly is adept at storytelling and her prose flows easily. But another place this memoir breaks down for me is the lack of explanation of how the author's sister, who is painted as extremely mentally ill, managed to even earn a high school diploma, let alone attend a Seven Sisters college and ultimately become an M.D. with a speciality in -- surprise! -- psychiatry. Having personal knowledge of situations with much milder illness, it's hard to fathom how highly functioning the sister could be when she was so violent and tormented much of the time. I got a bit stuck on this and, for me, it put a bit of a ding in the book's credibility.

There were a few other missing pieces for me and a bit too much "telling" when I wanted more "showing." For instance, Fremont tells us the sister gets along well with colleagues at the hospital, but I'd have liked a few scenes that illustrated that to contrast the irrational behavior she exhibited with her family. While she talks about it, Fremont, holds back on her own passion. She goes from having tame crushes on some women friends and eventually realizes she is a lesbian, but there's not really an emotional catharsis, and then suddenly she has a partner. I also would've liked a little more about the fact both Fremont and her sister are gay. That seems unusual enough to warrant more than casual mention. And how did the parents react? What were their feelings about homosexuality?

The Escape Artist is a fascinating read in many ways, but it left me with enough unanswered questions to be slightly frustrating in the end.