A Life's Indiscretions

In early 20th century Ukraine, Esther, a beautiful girl from an upper-class family, develops an infatuation with her cousin, Leon Trotsky. Prevailing upon her father to allow Trotsky's revolutionary cell to meet secretly in their house, he reluctantly agrees—but when Cossacks invade the home and murder a family member before her eyes, her world is shattered. And when her criticism of the Czar is reported, forcing her to flee, Esther embarks upon a solo journey to the New World, where a loveless marriage and an impoverished existence collide with her dreams and result in a series of mistakes she must confront if she's ever to make peace with her family—and herself.

Set in early 20th century Eastern Europe and America and inspired by true events, A Life's Indiscretions is the riveting account of a passionate young woman whose reckless pursuit of her life's dreams sets in motion a series of events that fracture and nearly destroy her entire family. Odessa, 1905: Esther, a beautiful and captivating girl from an upper-class Jewish family, develops an infatuation with her first cousin, Leon Trotsky and his revolutionary ideals. Prevailing upon her father to allow Trotsky's cell (which includes Joseph Stalin) to meet secretly in their house, he reluctantly agrees—but when Cossacks invade the home with the Czar's tacit permission and murder a family member before her eyes, her world is shattered. Once her criticism of the Czar is reported to the authorities, Esther is forced to flee, embarking on a solo journey by sea to the New World. An onboard love affair leaves the young beauty pregnant and abandoned at the port of entry. Escorted off Ellis Island by a once spurned suitor, she enters what becomes a loveless marriage. With a brood of unwanted children and trapped in a humdrum existence, Esther learns in 1917 that Trotsky will be coming to New York City to lecture and plots her escape. But her dreams of romance and revolution are only delusions, producing a trail of lies, trysts, betrayals and a succession of unforgivable mistakes she must confront if she's ever to make peace with what's left of her family—and herself.

A.M. Rossoff is a recovering lawyer who is starting over. Growing up, he worked side by side with his handyman father, who regaled him with tales of his ancestors -- including revolutionaries in Eastern Europe. He made it through college and suffered through law school, working odd jobs and writing poetry on the side. After practicing law for many years, he returned to his first loves -- manual labor and writing. Today he writes full time and this novel is his first -- a family saga based on true events that took place in Europe and America in the twentieth century.