Schroder | Amity Gaige

Attending summer camp as a boy, Erik Schroder-- a first generation East German immigrant--adopts the name of Eric Kennedy, a decision that will set him on an improbable and transformative journey. SCHRODER relates the story of how years later, Erik finds himself on an urgent escape to Lake Champlain, Vermont with his daughter, hiding from authorities amidst a heated custody battle with estranged wife, Laura, who is unaware of his previous identity. From a correctional facility, Erik surveys the course of his life: his love for Laura, his childhood, his experience as a father. In this way, this sweeping and deftly-imagined novel is an exploration of the identities we take on in our lives-those we are born with, and those we construct for ourselves.