Vic­to­ria Lustbader’s first nov­el is about two con­trast­ing, inter­con­nect­ed fam­i­lies. The sto­ry begins in 1917. The Gates’ are a wealthy New York fam­i­ly; the Warshin­skys are a hard-work­ing, poor Jew­ish clan from the Low­er East Side. Jed Gates and David Warshinky meet when each decides to join the army, con­trary to the wish­es and desires of their respec­tive fam­i­lies. The two young men become close friends, and David sees an oppor­tu­ni­ty to trans­form his dreams into a longed-for new life of wealth and pow­er. He can accom­plish this only by push­ing his Jew­ish iden­ti­ty aside. But David is not the only one who holds secret desires; Jed, and oth­er mem­bers of the Gates fam­i­ly have been con­ceal­ing their own pas­sions and secrets from the out­side world. With its evoca­tive sense of time, place and char­ac­ter, Hid­den is a pow­er­ful and engag­ing sto­ry despite its pre­dictable plot.