Sometimes real life has twists and turns that would be unbelievable in a work of fiction. The story of Jan Yoors is such a story. Written by Debra Dean (The Madonnas of Leningrand), it chronicles the lives of Jan, Annabert van Wettum, and Marianne Citroen.

Jan, born into a progressive family in Belgium in the 1920's. His father, Eugene, was a well known stained glass artist and his mother was a bohemian dedicated to social justice. At the age of 11 Jan and Annabert van Wettum met at a summer camp in the Netherlands at which time they established a long running correspondence. Even while Jan has run off with Roma (gypsies) for months at a time, which his parents seem to accept with little consternation.

WWII descends upon Europe. Annabert's mother died of cancer and her family disintegrates. Her best friend, Marianne Citroen, suffers different but no less tragic circumstances. Jan becomes a freedom fighter in the war to help the Roma and others being persecuted by the Germans. He is captured, tortured, and sentenced to death but is miraculously spared.

At the end of the war, Jan finds Annabert, they marry and move to England where he casts about for a livelihood in the arts and falls in love with woven tapestries. They find that Marianne has also emigrated to England, and Jan manipulates the women into agreeing to a polyamorous relationship. Jan does not have the slow, methodical temperament for producing tapestries but the women do. So he designs and they execute the designs.

The trio move to New York City and during the 1950's and 60's they become established in the art scene through the tapestries as well as Jan's drawings, photography and writing.

The author draws out the story in engaging detail of the concealed life of this unusual family without delivering judgment on the choices made. It's a fascinating story. ( )