Heads You Win: A Novel

Alex is the top of his class in 1968 Leningrad, Russia. He hopes someday to be the first democratically elected president, once the Communist regime has been overthrown. Unfortunately, his life is irrevocably changed when his father has an “€œaccident,”€ and he is sent to the docks to work instead of to university. He and his mother decide to escape, and his uncle finds passage on a boat, but they have a choice in final location. Alex flips a coin and from there follows his life in two tales: one in London and one in New York. Simultaneously, the tales end up in the same place, with very different results.

Archer has given a glimpse at how just one choice in life could make a difference, but also how, through fate or divine intervention, all choices lead to the same event. The chapters alternate between Sasha and Alex, both one and the same, and progress similarly to many of his previous epic tales that span decades. However, the ending will stun and will cause many readers to seek out others who have finished the tale, as there is much to untangle regarding the final explosive sentence. An intellectual treat.