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A luminous family memoir from the author of the critically acclaimed Boston Globe bestseller, After Long Silence, lauded as �mesmerizing� (The Washington Post Book World), �extraordinary� (The Philadelphia Inquirer), and �a triumphant work of art� (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In the tradition of Alison Bechdel�s Fun Home or George Hodgman�s Bettyville, Fremont writes with wit and candor about growing up in a household held together by a powerful glue: secrets. Her parents, profoundly affected by their memories of the Holocaust, pass on, to both Helen and her older sister, a penchant for keeping their lives neatly, even obsessively compartmentalized, and a zealous determination to protect themselves from what they see as danger from the outside world. She delves deeply into the family dynamic that produced such a startling devotion to secret keeping, beginning with the painful and unexpected discovery that she has been disinherited in her mother�s will. In scenes that are frank, moving, and often surprisingly funny, Fremont writes about growing up in such an intemperate household, with parents who pretended to be Catholics but were really Jews�survivors of Nazi-occupied Poland. She shares tales of family therapy sessions, disordered eating, her sister�s frequently unhinged meltdowns, and her own romantic misadventures as she tries to sort out her sexual identity. In a family devoted to hiding the truth, Fremont learns the truth is the one thing that can set you free. Scorching, witty, and ultimately redemptive, The Escape Artist is a powerful contribution to the memoir shelf.