No Two Persons: A Novel

Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is a novel in stories published in 2023. Narrated in the third person, the novel is divided into three sections, each of which contains a series of titled chapters. Though each chapter can function as an individual narrative, the disparate storylines are connected via contextual clues presented across the novel. Each chapter traces the life of one of the book’s 10 central characters: Alice Wein, Lara, Rowan, Miranda, Tyler, Nola, Kit, William, Juliet, and Madeline Armstrong. Bauermeister’s approach to language, structure, and form enacts the novel’s thematic explorations of Story as a Form of Connection, Books as Escape and Deliverance, and Literature as a Pathway to Healing.

Bauermeister is a New York Times bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction. No Two Persons is her fifth novel and was listed among Newsweek’s top picks of 2023, among other honors. Her prior works include The Scent Keeper (2019) and The School of Essential Ingredients (2009).

This guide refers to the 2023 St. Martin’s Press hardback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text deals with issues including child abuse, death by suicide, addiction, and mental and terminal illness.

Plot Summary

Part 1, Chapter 1, “Maine 2010, The Writer,” focuses on the novelist Alice Wein. Alice has wanted to write a novel since she was a little girl. At age 18, she leaves home to study literature and writing at an unnamed college in Maine, where she meets Professor Roberts, who recognizes her talent but tells her she needs to learn to write with empathy for both her characters and her readers.

Alice learns that her older brother, Peter, has died of an overdose. She returns home to the West Coast for his funeral. After returning to Maine, she drops out of school and takes up swimming to escape her sorrow. In the pool one day, she comes up with the idea for a new story.

Over the following months, Alice writes her first novel: Theo. After several publishing houses reject the manuscript, Professor Roberts suggests that Alice send Theo to his friend Madeline Armstrong, a New York literary agent. Alice is nervous but sends her the manuscript anyway.

Chapter 2, “New York City 2010, The Assistant,” tells the story of Lara, a new mother living in New York City who has been the assistant of Madeline Armstrong for several years. When Lara got pregnant, Madeline allowed her to work freelance. After Lara settles her baby, she opens a new manuscript: Theo. The story captivates her, and she’s convinced Theo will be a bestseller.

Chapter 3, “British Columbia 2011, The Actor,” centers on Rowan, an actor in the midst of an unexpected second career. After a promising start as a movie actor, Rowan left Hollywood because of a skin condition, convinced it would compromise his work. In Canada, Rowan found work narrating audiobooks. His favorite project is narrating Alice’s Theo, which moves him in unexpected ways.

Part 2 has only a single chapter, titled “The Internet,” that consists of several online reviews of Theo. The reviews are mixed, with some praising the novel’s emotional power and others dismissing it as trite and sentimental.

Part 3, Chapter 1, “Washington State 2012, The Artist,” focuses on Miranda, a young artist. Miranda has been establishing herself as an independent woman since leaving her home and mother in New York for the West Coast. Her mother is a high-powered businesswoman whose ideals contrast with those of Miranda, who values creative freedom over money. She uses the pages of Theo, a book her mother mailed her, to complete a new statue.

Chapter 2, “Florida 2013, The Diver,” centers Tyler, a former competitive diver living alone in Florida. His girlfriend, Saylor, left him after a recent diving accident: She understood that Tyler loves swimming and diving but felt that these obsessions were endangering his life. Tyler notices that Saylor has left behind a novel, Theo. The novel resonates with him.

Chapter 3, “Northern California 2014, The Teenager,” tells the story of a girl named Nola. After Nola’s father died in a car accident, Nola’s mother began to experience depression and one day left without warning. Nola has been living in a shed on her school’s property ever since. She lies in her sleeping bag and reads every night; her favorite new book is Theo.

When Nola’s English teacher, Ms. Hildegrand, discovers Nola’s circumstances, she invites Nola to babysit in exchange for room and board. The offer changes how Nola sees her life.

In Chapter 4, “Maine 2016, The Bookseller,” Kit works at a bookstore in a small town, where he loves sharing books with others. His girlfriend, Annalise, is the first woman who hasn’t judged him for his job. However, when Kit meets Alice and reads Theo, he realizes he and Annalise aren’t meant to be.

Chapter 5, “Northeastern California, 2017, The Caretaker,” introduces William, a 62-year-old former civil engineer who feels unmoored after the recent death of his wife, Abigail. Overcome by grief, he tries to start a new life by selling his house, leaving his hometown, and taking a job as the caretaker of a ghost town. While snowed in, William discovers Abigail’s books among his things. He enjoys reading Theo and discovering Abigail’s annotations in the margins.

Chapter 6, “Southern California 2018, The Coordinator,” introduces Juliet, an intimacy coordinator for sex scenes. She is married to a man named Richard and has a daughter. On the flight home from a shoot in Paris, Juliet listens to the audiobook of Theo on her phone, which ignites her memories and makes her question her marriage. However, after she reunites with her family and finishes the book, she realizes that her life is better than she thought and that happiness requires effort.

Chapter 7, “New York City 2019, The Agent,” centers on Madeline, the head of the literary agency Lara works for in Part 1, Chapter 2. When Madeline falls and injures her wrist, she learns she has a brain condition that will end her life. She decides to sort through her books before she dies and hires Nola to help with the project. The two form a connection.

One day, Nola finds Madeline lying on the floor, disoriented. Madeline begs Nola not to call the ambulance, so Nola instead stays with her until she dies.

In the Epilogue, Alice attends Madeline’s memorial service. Alice retreats from the reception, lost in her thoughts. When she discovers an image of Miranda’s sculpture in a book, Alice thinks of a new story idea. The revelation lets her reconcile with Theo’s evolution.