Introduction

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeisterâ??s No Two Persons is â??a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.â?*

That was the beauty of books, wasnâ??t it? They took you places you didnâ??t know you needed to goâ?¦

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Aliceâ??s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways?and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

â??With its beautiful parts that add up to a brilliant whole, No Two Persons made my readerâ??s heart sing.â??*Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair

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Excerpt

The Writer

The story on Aliceâ??s computer screen had been finding its way into words for more than five years, or maybe forever. Over that time, it had grown, changed, creaked, flown, gone silent, and then gained its voice again, its plot taking unexpected paths, its characters turning into people she hadnâ??t thought they would be, just as she had. This glowing screen, the one constant. This story, in all its iterations. Now awaiting the last step. Someone to say yes. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

1) The title No Two Persons comes from the quote “no two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture.” What does that mean to you? Have you experienced this yourself?

2) The opening line of Theo is “Wandering is a gift given only to the lost.” What does the phrase mean to Alice? Lara? The Cultus book reviewer? Miranda? Have you ever felt like a wanderer?

3) In The Writer, Professor Roberts says: “If you think about it, every story—even the most fantastical—is grounded in things we already know.” How do you think Alice’s life informed the novel she ended up writing?

4) Why do you think Lara, the literary assistant, has such a strong response to Theo?

5) Which characters in No Two Persons elicited the strongest reactions in you? Why do you think that was?

6) What do you think Tyler gets from free-diving?

7) In The Bookseller, Kit says to Annalise: “I’m just saying that a character can be as real as a person. Or teach you as much, anyway.” Do you agree? If so, what fictional characters have been meaningful in your life?

8) In The Caretaker, Abigail’s margin comments in her copy of Theo draw a connection between Theo, William, and the mules in the mine. What do you think she was seeing?

9) In The Coordinator, Juliet’s experience of Theo is affected because she listens to an audiobook. How do you think audiobooks affect our reading experiences?

10) There are no quoted passages from Theo other than the first line. We learn his story in bits, given to us through each succeeding character. How does that affect your understanding of Theo?

11) In The Agent, Nola and Madeline have a conversation about what kind of endings they like in books. Nola likes to be left thinking, while Madeline believes things should be more nailed down. What kind do you prefer?

12) What do you think about Madeline’s choice for her own ending?

13) Initially, the characters in No Two Persons seem unrelated to one another, but as the book progresses, connections begin to surface. How many connections can you find? Which ones surprised you the most? 14) At the end of the book, Alice finds inspiration in an unlikely place. Where have you found inspiration?

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