The uncanny beauty of Van Booys prose, and his ability to knife straight to the depths of a characters heart, fill a reader with wonder.There are so many wonderful sentences in this book, a reviewer groans for want of room to list them.San Francisco Chronicle In The Illusion of Separateness, award-winning author Simon Van Booy tells a harrowing and enchanting story of how one mans act of mercy during World War II changed the lives of strangers, and how they each discover the astonishing truth of their connection.Whether they are pursued by Nazi soldiers, old age, shame, disease, or regret, the characters in this utterly compelling novel discover in their darkest moments of fear and isolation that they are not alone, that they were never alone, that every human being is a link in an unseen chain.The Illusion of Separatenessintertwines the stories of unique and compelling characters whothrough seemingly random acts of selflessnessdiscover the vital parts they have played in each others lives.