“Choosing to put on a new identity as easily as one might put on a new hat can be a coping mechanism, the start of an elaborate con, the last resort of a victim fleeing an abuser, the refuge of a fantasist who can no longer face reality. Strategy or stratagem, adopting a new name, a new backstory, a new reality, always makes for an intriguing story. It’s a chance to explore the road not taken—and who among us doesn’t wonder about that?”
—novelist Deanna Raybourn
