A couple things come to mind. Islands of Deception:Lying with the Enemy is very much an immigration story.

Global conflict and global migration are central to any story about war. These are people whose homelands were destroyed. 

Our inhumanity is another piece of the puzzle. I had the good fortune to interview a 95 year-old German soldier who was on the Russian front.  His American family shared their immigration stories of incarceration in work camps and being without a country for many years.

Then there is the universal journey that each of us takes.

Islands of Deception begins with a decision made by each of the characters that will have profound and lasting impact on their lives. The alternating narratives are presented against a detailed and well researched description of social and political events of the time. The use of actual quotes from newspapers and historical figures of the day gives an authenticity and poignancy to the personal predicaments that the characters faced.  Phyllis Moss, Amazon review

Our dual protagonists are shaped by issues of freedom vs. captivity.  He celebrates his decision for the rest of his life.  She is resilient but she regrets her choice.  Throughout her life she saw restrictions and stop signs whenever she wanted to move ahead.

And so, with this we reach the end of our journey together.  Hans and Esther reunite in Brooklyn.

As soon as her husband left the apartment, Hans nervously explained  that their past could not be disclosed. It was as dead as the family. Esther laughed.

“You think I don’t know this? Look at me, married to a captor and making dinner for him each night. He’s hardly a movie star. There is no Clark Gable at this tea party.”

“Are we still Jews?”

“I’m not sure. I’m an atheist now, but my Catholic husband does not need to know that. I tried to become a good Catholic wife. I have even been pregnant twice.”

He looked around. “You have children then?”

“No, no children.”

“My wife and I are expecting a child.”

They began to discuss the Herengracht property, agreeing to use Dutch for all their written communications. Greta did not understand Dutch, and Lutz was not a reader. They would conspire as they once had when they were children, wheedling things from their parents. Esther’s cat slept on the windowsill.

Cats have nine lives, and they were only on their third.