Description

One of Them: A Novel.

A Story of Secrets, Friendship, and Betrayal Amid the Prejudices of Postwar America

From the beloved author of Not Our Kind and The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights comes a powerful novel about identity, friendship, and the choices we make to survive in a world shaped by prejudice and social expectations.

Set at Vassar College in the years following World War II, this moving story follows two young women whose unlikely friendship challenges the boundaries of class, culture, and belonging.

Anne Bishop appears to be everything expected of a privileged Vassar sophomore. She is part of an elite circle of wealthy, well-connected WASP students who know her only by the name she has chosen for herself. They have no idea that Anne is actually Miriam—a Jewish girl who has hidden her true identity to escape the discrimination and quiet hostility faced by Jewish students.

As Anne embraces the freedom her new identity provides, she enjoys the rituals of college life: afternoon teas, social gatherings, late-night conversations, and the promise of a future without limitations. But she also chooses not to confront the casual anti-Semitism surrounding her, comforted by the fact that it no longer targets her directly.

Everything changes when she meets Delia Goldhush.

Brilliant, fashionable, and unapologetically Jewish, Delia stands apart from the world Anne has carefully constructed. While others dismiss her as an outsider, Delia carries herself with confidence and refuses to hide who she is. Drawn to Delia’s honesty and strength, Anne begins a friendship that could cost her everything she has worked to achieve.

Knowing their connection would threaten her place among her classmates, Anne keeps their relationship secret. But when fear and insecurity lead her to betray Delia’s trust, their bond is shattered, sending both women on separate paths across the world.

A deeply emotional exploration of identity, loyalty, and the lasting effects of prejudice, this novel examines the difficult choices people make when belonging comes at the cost of truth. With echoes of today’s social struggles, it is a poignant reminder of the courage required to embrace who we truly are.