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In Our Other Lives
A provocative novel about abandoned faith, heartbreaking loss, and inescapable government scrutiny in the heartland of a post-9/11 nation.
American missionary and ROTC cadet Tyler Ahls, long missing in Pakistan, has just surfaced, proselytizing in an Afghani terrorist propaganda video. For Omaha nurse Elisabeth Holland, it’s a shock that her brother is even alive. Now she must ask herself a more grave question: Is he a hostage or a traitor?
Seasoned FBI special agent Frank Schwaller is asking this too. He’s come to Nebraska armed with countless hours of video, audio, and email surveillance. The object of his unyielding gaze is Elisabeth. But the more Schwaller uncovers about her—from her and Tyler’s evangelical Christian upbringing to her shattered youthful dreams to her broken marriage to a drifter—the more mystifying Elisabeth and the two men in her life become.
To find out the truth about these entwined lives—and the desperation that comes from love, fear, and the need to disappear—Agent Schwaller will discover how even the most lonesome corners of the Plains can be darkened by the long shadow of war.
From Kings of Broken Things author Theodore Wheeler comes an exploration of love lost, the failure of humanism, and the revelations of how deeply the US government spies on the personal lives of its citizens.
American missionary and ROTC cadet Tyler Ahls, long missing in Pakistan, has just surfaced, proselytizing in an Afghani terrorist propaganda video. For Omaha nurse Elisabeth Holland, it’s a shock that her brother is even alive. Now she must ask herself a more grave question: Is he a hostage or a traitor?
Seasoned FBI special agent Frank Schwaller is asking this too. He’s come to Nebraska armed with countless hours of video, audio, and email surveillance. The object of his unyielding gaze is Elisabeth. But the more Schwaller uncovers about her—from her and Tyler’s evangelical Christian upbringing to her shattered youthful dreams to her broken marriage to a drifter—the more mystifying Elisabeth and the two men in her life become.
To find out the truth about these entwined lives—and the desperation that comes from love, fear, and the need to disappear—Agent Schwaller will discover how even the most lonesome corners of the Plains can be darkened by the long shadow of war.
From Kings of Broken Things author Theodore Wheeler comes an exploration of love lost, the failure of humanism, and the revelations of how deeply the US government spies on the personal lives of its citizens.
- GenresFiction
291 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2020
179 people are currently reading
3687 people want to read
About the author
Theodore Wheeler
8 books135 followersTheodore Wheeler is the author of three novels, most recently THE WAR BEGINS IN PARIS (Little Brown, 2023). He has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Nebraska Arts Council, and Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany. He worked for fourteen years as a journalist who covered law and politics, and his fiction is often influenced by real life and historical events. Wheeler and his family operate Dundee Book Company, an independent neighborhood bookshop, and he is a professor in the English Department at Creighton University. A native Iowan, he now lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 18, 2019
Arranged in a series of files, this book is centered on Elisabeth Ahls and her extraordinary journey through grief as those close to her leave in one way or another. One of those would be her brother Tyler who, after being thought dead while hiking in Pakistan, has surfaced in a video that may or may not denote a terrorist connection. The story is of today, and the concept, original, with a federal agent keeping close tabs on everyone yet becoming a participant himself. There is much that is enigmatic about this book, but some of it didn't hold true for me, and while I enjoyed it, I was aware of its flaws.
February 7, 2020
Thank you to Little A and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book left me feeling unsettled. On the surface, you think, or rather are told, it's a story about a young, naive American evangelical proselytizer who disappears in Pakistan/Afghanistan and then suddenly reappears in an Islamic propaganda video, and the federal investigation that ensues.. But really, it's a story about the young man's sister, and how she deals with a series of shattering blows and events in her life. The story unfolds through the recounting of surveillance and interview data collected by a federal agent, who tries to unravel the connections between the brother and sister, the sister and her husband, the siblings and their parents. What emerges is a portrait of a strong, stoic woman who has had to learn to get on with her life, regardless of her circumstances. Some of the elements didn't gel for me, particularly in terms of the surveillance of private citizens - but then again, what do I know?
This book left me feeling unsettled. On the surface, you think, or rather are told, it's a story about a young, naive American evangelical proselytizer who disappears in Pakistan/Afghanistan and then suddenly reappears in an Islamic propaganda video, and the federal investigation that ensues.. But really, it's a story about the young man's sister, and how she deals with a series of shattering blows and events in her life. The story unfolds through the recounting of surveillance and interview data collected by a federal agent, who tries to unravel the connections between the brother and sister, the sister and her husband, the siblings and their parents. What emerges is a portrait of a strong, stoic woman who has had to learn to get on with her life, regardless of her circumstances. Some of the elements didn't gel for me, particularly in terms of the surveillance of private citizens - but then again, what do I know?
June 10, 2020
In Our Other Lives is a very modern story of the effects of terrorism on a culture and loss on an individual. The book takes lace mostly in Nebraska where Elizabeth Holland lives. She is a single mom after her husband abandoned her and their son shortly after his birth. And her brother disappeared in Pakistan some time ago. Then her brother, Tyler Ahls, show up on a propaganda video bringing the FBI to town.
FBI Special Agent Frank Schwaller arrives in Omaha, Nebraska, to investigate the family of Tyler Ahls, a young man who disappeared in Pakistan but has now shown up in a terrorist propaganda video. Schwaller’s task is to determine if Tyler is a hostage or a traitor who poses a threat to American people.
The novel is told in a series of 12 files which detail the information gathered through interviews and surveillance. The book emphasizes the trail of information that each of us leaves behind every day. Elizabeth lived a quiet life off the radar before her brother's activities and yet the FBI agent builds an extensive file on her.
Elizabeth is a stoic woman who seems to have taken everything in stride. She is simply and quietly moving on with life, not trying to understand the actions of her brother or her husband. Unfortunately, the FBI agent wants to understand everything. He is easily frustrated when he thinks people are uncooperative.
The interesting dichotomy here is that despite all the ways each of us is surveilled on a daily basis people remain mysterious and unknowable. Even though Elizabeth loved her brother she doesn't understand what his motive was to travel to Pakistan, or her husband's for leaving her.
I think this is a smart and interesting story, but have a couple complaint:
1. This is a completely American book. It is based on America's laws, culture, fears. It relies heavily (and assumes you have the knowledge before opening the cover) on the Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I found it ethnocentric and a bit jingoistic.
2. None of the characters inspired much compassion or empathy. I didn't particularly connect with any of them or care what happened.
2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Netgalley, Little A publishers and the author for the digital ARC in exchange for my review.
FBI Special Agent Frank Schwaller arrives in Omaha, Nebraska, to investigate the family of Tyler Ahls, a young man who disappeared in Pakistan but has now shown up in a terrorist propaganda video. Schwaller’s task is to determine if Tyler is a hostage or a traitor who poses a threat to American people.
The novel is told in a series of 12 files which detail the information gathered through interviews and surveillance. The book emphasizes the trail of information that each of us leaves behind every day. Elizabeth lived a quiet life off the radar before her brother's activities and yet the FBI agent builds an extensive file on her.
Elizabeth is a stoic woman who seems to have taken everything in stride. She is simply and quietly moving on with life, not trying to understand the actions of her brother or her husband. Unfortunately, the FBI agent wants to understand everything. He is easily frustrated when he thinks people are uncooperative.
The interesting dichotomy here is that despite all the ways each of us is surveilled on a daily basis people remain mysterious and unknowable. Even though Elizabeth loved her brother she doesn't understand what his motive was to travel to Pakistan, or her husband's for leaving her.
I think this is a smart and interesting story, but have a couple complaint:
1. This is a completely American book. It is based on America's laws, culture, fears. It relies heavily (and assumes you have the knowledge before opening the cover) on the Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I found it ethnocentric and a bit jingoistic.
2. None of the characters inspired much compassion or empathy. I didn't particularly connect with any of them or care what happened.
2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Netgalley, Little A publishers and the author for the digital ARC in exchange for my review.
March 24, 2020
A video has surfaced of an American missionary/ ROTC cadet who has been captured in Pakistan. Is he a target or a traitor? Is he dead or alive? Captive Tyler Ahls is less the focus of this novel than his sister, Elisabeth, who sits at the center of the story. Her husband has left, her dreams of motherhood have been shattered and she’s rebuilt her life from an evangelical Christian upbringing to a nurse in Omaha Nebraska. FBI agent Frank Schwaller has arrived in the heartland with his surveillance and video equipment to learn all he can about the captured American and determine what Elisabeth really knows about her brother’s potential secrets. The result, laced together in chapters that focus on each character, is a book that finally cinches it all together with an exploration of lost love, human frailty and the trespassing of privacy in the name of war.
April 1, 2020
This book had me captured from the beginning as I emotionally invested in the characters. The mysterious plot kept me wondering what was going to happen to Tyler Ahls in his journey. I highly recommend this book. Everyone will be able to relate in some manner.
May 26, 2020
This is one of those stories with multiple timelines where I am really wishing there was a table of contents so I can go back and piece together the various events of the characters.
I liked the Nebraska connections including the Safe Haven Law story.
It's overall a sad story but intriguing. I admire the author's tackling of some complex contemporary issues.
I liked the Nebraska connections including the Safe Haven Law story.
It's overall a sad story but intriguing. I admire the author's tackling of some complex contemporary issues.
October 24, 2020
This is an incredible book. I round it up to 4.5. The story is intriguing & deep. It draws you in and the writing is fabulous. I was especially drawn into Elizabeth’s story as there are so many parallels to my own. I live in Omaha and previously lived in Chicago. I was reading this just after a visit to Chicago and an L ride through Elisabeth’s neighborhood so I could vividly imagine the streets described. In Omaha, the author describes streets I frequently use and I felt like I was in the car with Elisabeth when she was looking for the Junger’s home. I liked how he drew in the story of the Safe Haven law - it brought back a lot of memories as we lived in Omaha during the time people were dropping older kids off at hospitals. And like Elisabeth I too lost an infant son so could relate to that piece of the story. The parallel drawing and introspection around the loss of a healthy and loved child and the survival of abused and neglected children was familiar. Even without these parallels this book is an incredible read. With them it is a little eerie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2020
FBI Special Agent Frank Schwaller arrives in Omaha, Nebraska, to investigate the family of Tyler Ahls, a young man who disappeared in Pakistan but has now shown up in a terrorist propaganda video. Schwaller’s task is to determine if Tyler is a hostage or a traitor who poses a threat to American people.
Much of the investigation focuses on Elisabeth Holland, Tyler’s sister. We learn of her marriage to Nick Holland. Nick abandoned the marriage soon after the birth of their son Caleb who then died shortly after Nick’s disappearance. Elisabeth then decided to leave Chicago and pursue a nursing career in Omaha. She claims not to know where either her brother or husband is or what their reasons for disappearing were.
The novel consists of twelve files detailing information gathered through surveillance and interviews: “Everything that happened could be recorded and coded. Everything that could be known and filed was known and filed.” The book emphasizes how all Americans are under surveillance: “In . . . any big city, that’s millions of people . . . and nearly every minute of their lives was recorded, their phone calls, any digital activity, all metadata, their stories. Even someone like Elisabeth Holland, who was off the radar . . . before her brother’s activities made everyone in her family a person of interest, she still wandered in front of surveilling eyes hundreds of times. Her file built frame by frame, byte by byte.” Schwaller’s case is considered counterterrorism and he admits “That loosens the rules of what we can do” so he can do virtually whatever he likes and “Worst case, I’m caught poking where I’m not supposed to: throw the Patriot Act in their face.”
Elisabeth is a foil for Frank. Her way of coping is simply to stoically move on because trying to understand others or God’s plan (if there is one) isn’t always possible and doesn’t help: “’Some families fall apart and some stay together, and it doesn’t always make sense why one is one and another the other.’” Frank, on the other hand, wants to understand everything: “Was there any point in tracking the every gesture and disgrace of these people? Sure there was.” He becomes frustrated when people are not co-operative: “These people, they couldn’t just answer his questions, they always wanted to take something from him instead.” Even after the investigation is over, Frank “kept tabs on them, from time to time because he came to see them as his people. That’s the way it went after an investigation.”
The theme of the novel seems to be that despite all the surveillance and information gathering, there are mysteries that cannot be solved. People often remain mysteries even to those who love them and should know them best. Elisabeth and her parents do not know what Tyler’s motivation was in travelling to Pakistan. Likewise, she does not know why Nick left her without any explanation. A man dies and investigators cannot determine whether his death was an accident or suicide. Why would a man abandon nine children?
The style of the book, especially its long sentences, is sometimes annoying: “It would have been suspicious that Tyler went missing, given what Nick knew – that Tyler was aware of the geopolitical danger of moving to Peshawar and hiking the Hindu Khush, that Tyler’s emails were increasingly erratic, made frequent references to David Koresh and John the Baptist, and how Tyler wanted to be part of their tradition, his own destiny as a missionary, a revolutionary (as he saw it), though Tyler had trouble explaining how three trips to Pakistan fit in his vision – or how hiking foothills there made him either insurgent or evangelist.” Yikes! Meaning is lost in such verbiage.
This book is very much American, so it is sometimes confusing to this Canadian reader. References to things like the Patriot Act, and FISA mandates and warrants mean little to me: “There’s FISA, you know what that is? There’s mandate. Before, if I wasn’t sure it was okay to access a file here or there, I had to get permission from a prosecutor, then they talk to a judge. Each time! Now there’s no prosecutor involved. There’s hardly a judge, just a signature to request and then I get carte blanche for ninety days.” How many people, even Americans, are going to be familiar with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, its amendments and its constitutionality?
The book was in some ways an uncomfortable read. I kept looking over my shoulder wondering who was recording my activities and whether they would be considered “normal” or not.
Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Much of the investigation focuses on Elisabeth Holland, Tyler’s sister. We learn of her marriage to Nick Holland. Nick abandoned the marriage soon after the birth of their son Caleb who then died shortly after Nick’s disappearance. Elisabeth then decided to leave Chicago and pursue a nursing career in Omaha. She claims not to know where either her brother or husband is or what their reasons for disappearing were.
The novel consists of twelve files detailing information gathered through surveillance and interviews: “Everything that happened could be recorded and coded. Everything that could be known and filed was known and filed.” The book emphasizes how all Americans are under surveillance: “In . . . any big city, that’s millions of people . . . and nearly every minute of their lives was recorded, their phone calls, any digital activity, all metadata, their stories. Even someone like Elisabeth Holland, who was off the radar . . . before her brother’s activities made everyone in her family a person of interest, she still wandered in front of surveilling eyes hundreds of times. Her file built frame by frame, byte by byte.” Schwaller’s case is considered counterterrorism and he admits “That loosens the rules of what we can do” so he can do virtually whatever he likes and “Worst case, I’m caught poking where I’m not supposed to: throw the Patriot Act in their face.”
Elisabeth is a foil for Frank. Her way of coping is simply to stoically move on because trying to understand others or God’s plan (if there is one) isn’t always possible and doesn’t help: “’Some families fall apart and some stay together, and it doesn’t always make sense why one is one and another the other.’” Frank, on the other hand, wants to understand everything: “Was there any point in tracking the every gesture and disgrace of these people? Sure there was.” He becomes frustrated when people are not co-operative: “These people, they couldn’t just answer his questions, they always wanted to take something from him instead.” Even after the investigation is over, Frank “kept tabs on them, from time to time because he came to see them as his people. That’s the way it went after an investigation.”
The theme of the novel seems to be that despite all the surveillance and information gathering, there are mysteries that cannot be solved. People often remain mysteries even to those who love them and should know them best. Elisabeth and her parents do not know what Tyler’s motivation was in travelling to Pakistan. Likewise, she does not know why Nick left her without any explanation. A man dies and investigators cannot determine whether his death was an accident or suicide. Why would a man abandon nine children?
The style of the book, especially its long sentences, is sometimes annoying: “It would have been suspicious that Tyler went missing, given what Nick knew – that Tyler was aware of the geopolitical danger of moving to Peshawar and hiking the Hindu Khush, that Tyler’s emails were increasingly erratic, made frequent references to David Koresh and John the Baptist, and how Tyler wanted to be part of their tradition, his own destiny as a missionary, a revolutionary (as he saw it), though Tyler had trouble explaining how three trips to Pakistan fit in his vision – or how hiking foothills there made him either insurgent or evangelist.” Yikes! Meaning is lost in such verbiage.
This book is very much American, so it is sometimes confusing to this Canadian reader. References to things like the Patriot Act, and FISA mandates and warrants mean little to me: “There’s FISA, you know what that is? There’s mandate. Before, if I wasn’t sure it was okay to access a file here or there, I had to get permission from a prosecutor, then they talk to a judge. Each time! Now there’s no prosecutor involved. There’s hardly a judge, just a signature to request and then I get carte blanche for ninety days.” How many people, even Americans, are going to be familiar with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, its amendments and its constitutionality?
The book was in some ways an uncomfortable read. I kept looking over my shoulder wondering who was recording my activities and whether they would be considered “normal” or not.
Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
October 21, 2021
Wheeler explores topics such as abandoned faith, family loss, and government spying/scrutiny/probing in this novel about the Ahls family. When Tyler Ahls, an American missionary, disappears in Afghanistan and a damning tape later surfaces, FBI agent Frank Schwaller focuses his investigation on Ahls' sister Elisabeth. Set mainly in Omaha, the book also switches between small town Wisconsin, Chicago, and Afghanistan. Told as a series of FBI files from multiple viewpoints, the reader learns about one American family and their divergent paths in-depth. My only quibble is that the audiobook narrator mispronounced some of the Nebraska-based words. Yet another reminder that American English is much more regional that most people assume.
March 22, 2020
I really enjoyed this story it ropped me in from the beginning. It is a story about love, loss, and family drama. It reminds us that family isn't always what they seem and some get mixed up in things they shouldn't. It also tells a story about how sometimes people you love don't turn out to be the people you thought they were and coming to terms with that. I would recommend this story to others. Thank you to netgalley for this advance copy.
I received this advance copy free for an honest review.
I received this advance copy free for an honest review.
August 18, 2020
A vivid portrait of the paranoia and moral rot that gripped this nation in aftermath of the War on Terror, is the backdrop for a deeply personal tragedy of tragic loners in Nebraska and the midwest. Told through the narration of an incompetent FBI agent trying to find out why a Christian Missionary showed up in a Taliban video, the book weaves through the lives of numerous characters related to the missionary and probes the depths of their lives for sorrow and failed attempts at love and belonging.
A powerful read.
A powerful read.
Read
November 4, 2020In this tale of post 9-11 America, Omaha nurse Elisabeth Holland is reeling, not only from the estrangement from her husband, the death of her infant son, but also her brother’s disappearance in Afghanistan, where he is suspected of being linked to terrorists. In addition, FBI agent Schwaller seems to hound her at every turn. There is a disconnect in this life under the Patriot Act, as there is a disconnect among the characters. This is a story of love, loss, and striving for relationship. Well-written and compelling, it will remain with me a long time.
April 14, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down. It tells a great story of love and loss. I didn't expect to read so much about the family dynamics and drama, but it couldn't have been written any other way. As I kept reading the story, the more I became invested into it. This is the first book I have read from this author and I will be looking for more after reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone.
April 28, 2020
In Our Other Lives is suspenseful and impeccably written with compelling characters. Wheeler offers a thought-provoking take on the current state of U.S. surveillance and the pitfalls of religious extremism. Each setting from the upper Midwest to the cities of Omaha and Peshawar is drawn with a wonderful immersiveness and acute eye for detail. Highly recommend.
Read
July 18, 2020Enjoyable book with an unusual format. Made me think about current technology and its invasion into everyone's privacy. If you are looking a fresh outlook in a novel, I recommend this highly as a change of pace.
This was a Goodreads giveaway and I appreciated a book that I probably wouldn't have picked out by myself!
This was a Goodreads giveaway and I appreciated a book that I probably wouldn't have picked out by myself!
May 6, 2021
Being from Wisconsin and living in Omaha, maybe my expectations were too high in hoping I could find someone (or something) to connect with here.
The story felt choppy, and there was more than a little needless repetition. Some of the characters were more interesting than others, but none of them really captivated me.
The story felt choppy, and there was more than a little needless repetition. Some of the characters were more interesting than others, but none of them really captivated me.
February 2, 2023
I have no idea how this book ended up on my Kindle list but it was reasonably good. It's the story of a family with a son lost in Afghanistan and his sister losing her husband and son. The FBI gets involved thinking there is a connection between the two. The story held my interest and the author had a fairly good writing style. Would I recommend this book? Hmm, unsure.
February 25, 2020
Received an advanced copy of this book, not knowing what to expect.
And I was surprised, in a good way. I quickly got sucked into the story, which reads as a true account of events. I had to keep reminding myself that is was a novel.
Thank you Netgalley #inourotherlives
And I was surprised, in a good way. I quickly got sucked into the story, which reads as a true account of events. I had to keep reminding myself that is was a novel.
Thank you Netgalley #inourotherlives
May 21, 2020
Different
This well written novel was different from my usual reading. It was a story of loss and how it is felt with. It is also about an investigation that yields no evidence. The ending was disappointing , surprising and, yet, effective.
This well written novel was different from my usual reading. It was a story of loss and how it is felt with. It is also about an investigation that yields no evidence. The ending was disappointing , surprising and, yet, effective.
March 3, 2020
Beautifully well told. With it's flawless plot and written in a prose that flows effortlessly. This gem of a book deserves a spot on your TBR stack. Happy reading! #InOurOtherLives #NetGalley
March 9, 2020
This one was a slow burn for me - it’s more character driven than I prefer. That said, the writing is beautiful, and once in I was fully invested in these characters. It’s haunting, tragic and very much something to be discussed in the current cultural landscape.
July 15, 2020
What does the information about your life constitute when seen through the eyes of an investigator looking for connections about possible national security concerns? Perplexing story.
March 23, 2021
Not to my taste. None of the characters were likeable or had any redeeming qualties. I will not read/listen to any more books by Theodore Wheeler.
November 15, 2024
I found the first half choppy and confusing as it bounced from character to character and time to time. However, it started to come together in the second half.
December 4, 2024
What a tragic story. I loved the characters, the plot, everything. Great book!
February 21, 2020
3.75/5
A strange and unsettling snapshot of the lives of a group of Americans.
Tyler Ahls has gone missing in Pakistan while proselytizing, only to turn up in a video posted by terrorists.
In a close by and yet faraway orbit, Tyler's sister, Lis Holland, lives with her husband Nick.
That is, until Nick leaves one day and never returns.
Lis is alone months later when their infant son dies.
The plot here is indefinable, sifting through your fingers like sand when you try to grasp on to it. Nonetheless it is beautiful and disturbing.
A strange and unsettling snapshot of the lives of a group of Americans.
Tyler Ahls has gone missing in Pakistan while proselytizing, only to turn up in a video posted by terrorists.
In a close by and yet faraway orbit, Tyler's sister, Lis Holland, lives with her husband Nick.
That is, until Nick leaves one day and never returns.
Lis is alone months later when their infant son dies.
The plot here is indefinable, sifting through your fingers like sand when you try to grasp on to it. Nonetheless it is beautiful and disturbing.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews