Two Lives is a well-written biography by Vikram Seth, of his uncle Shanti, a soldier who experiences a combination of love and war. Shanti was born in India, ventures to Germany to study dentistry, where his life crosses with a young, beautiful Jewish girl, Henny. As their friendship progresses so does the Nazi occupation, forcing her to flee to England and leaving her friends and family behind. The entanglement of these two lives becomes more prominent when he joins the English Army. The story is actual correspondence between family, friends, and Shanti and Henny. The Two Lives story is tightly woven together through the complexity of friendship, distance, love, and the dynamics of war.

My wife gave me this book to read while deployed. She read it too and it provided some great conversations and connections between us. It was like being in a book club together and despite the distance were able to do something to bring our two lives closer.

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