Allison Epstein schrijft hedendaagse Amerikaanse proza die vaak thema's als identiteit en ergens thuishoren verkent. Haar stijl wordt gekenmerkt door geestige en scherpe observatiehumor, die diepere waarheden kan blootleggen binnen alledaagse scenario's. Epstein's taalgebruik is zowel speels als precies, en biedt lezers een verfrissende en memorabele verhalende ervaring. Haar werken nodigen uit tot nadenken over de complexiteit van menselijke verbindingen en levenspaden.
Set in an imperial Russia teetering on the edge of collapse, this alternate history unfolds in Saint Petersburg after Napoleon's invasion falters. A diverse group of characters navigates the chaos, each driven by a desire for a brighter future amidst the turmoil. Their intertwined stories explore themes of resilience and hope against the backdrop of a nation in crisis.
An Elizabethan espionage thriller in which playwright Christopher Marlowe spies on Mary, Queen of Scots while navigating the perils of politics, theater, romance—and murder. England, 1585. In Kit Marlowe's last year at Cambridge, he is approached by Queen Elizabeth's spymaster offering an unorthodox career opportunity: going undercover to intercept a Catholic plot to put Mary, Queen of Scots on Elizabeth's throne. Spying on Queen Mary turns out to be more than Kit bargained for, but his salary allows him to mount his first play, and over the following years he becomes the toast of London's raucous theater scene. But when Kit finds himself reluctantly drawn back into the world of espionage and treason, he realizes everything he's worked so hard to attain—including the trust of the man he loves—could vanish in an instant. Pairing modern language with period detail, Allison Epstein brings Elizabeth's lavish court, Marlowe's colorful theater troupe, and the squalor of sixteenth-century London to vivid, teeming life. At the center of the action is Kit himself—an irrepressible, irreverent force of nature.
Set in the dark alleys of nineteenth-century London, the story follows Jacob Fagin, who navigates life after his father's execution. Raised by his open-minded mother, Leah, Jacob's fate shifts when a pickpocket mentors him, leading him into the criminal underworld. As he adopts the volatile Bill Sikes and befriends Nancy and the Artful Dodger, Jacob grapples with loyalty and morality. A major robbery gone wrong forces him to confront his values and the true cost of his choices in a world defined by survival and ambition.