The Escape Artist is an absorbing read. I read After a Long Silence several years ago. Fremont follows up with the warped story of her family. Her family life was based on secrets, some that even after her book was published, she had yet to discover. She reveals the turbulent childhood she had and the roller coaster relationship she had with her sister and her parents. Estrangement seemed to be normal in her family. Fremont wrestled with being disowned by her mother after her father' death. It's a sad story, but a mesmerizing read.

I LOVED this book. It's a great WWII story of survival from the Nazis, immigration to The USA, and the daughters born here that didn't find out about the truth about their parents escape until they were in their 40's. Beautifully written.

The Escape Artist by Helen Fremont

Lies, lies and more lies. Growing up with family secrets about the holocaust is as emotionally damaging as the holocaust itself.

Helen Fremont finds herself on the outs with her family, where mental illness and denial abound in this small nuclear group. Helen battles her own demons as she tries to
figure out this thing called adulthood.

The story takes place in the 1960s to present in Boston and Schenectady N.Y, as Helen and her sister Lara fight and make peace with each other as often as you brush your teeth. They just can’t let go.

It is a gripping memoir as Helen tells of her lifetime of rejection and acceptance from her mom, sister, father, and surely, even herself. Life is complicated.

Coming to a logical realization in the end as to the cause of all this deception, Helen comes to peace with her story and, I believe, with herself. She is a wordsmith with a real talent for expression, so while her tale may make you uneasy, her writing will leave you wanting more.