Fission - by Leslie R Schover (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For fans of Ariel Lawhon and Rhys Bowen, an Oppenheimer-meets-The Rose Code World War II novel of a young mother's self-discovery as she is drawn into a love triangle with an atomic spy in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project.

When nineteen-year-old Doris Friedman marries Rob in 1941 and has a sickly, premature baby, she trades in her dreams of being a concert pianist or a lawyer to become the ideal wife and mother. Within months, Rob is recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, and the young family moves to Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Just like fission splits an atom's nucleus, Doris's marriage threatens to break her heart in two as she is left struggling to nurture her daughter while Rob works around the clock. In an effort to find connection, Doris befriends Betty, a Southern debutante. Even though they come from different backgrounds, the two women sustain each other through difficult moments: Betty's miscarriage, Rob's radiation exposure, and his subsequent attempt to enlist to fight at the front.

Despite her attempts to make life in Oak Ridge work, Doris falls for an army engineer--only to realize that he may be a Soviet spy. Should she turn him in and risk losing her marriage? As the end of the war nears, Doris must decide what's most important--and what she's willing to lose.

Review Quotes

2025 American Writing Awards Winner in Fiction: Historical

"During WWII, a young wife struggles to define her role when her husband is chosen to join the secret team who will help create the radioactive fuel for the atom bomb. Instantly relatable, full of rich detail, and beautifully written, Fission will reverberate long after you read the last page."--Jennie Fields, author of Atomic Love

"Schover's story provides a quiet, domestic perspective on the Manhattan Project . . . but the softer approach works for this story . . . Doris, with her dogged determination not to sit still for the rest of her life, is a uniquely powerful depiction of a 1940s housewife."--Kirkus Reviews

"An evocative, richly detailed portrayal of love and betrayal during one of history's most secretive operations . . . a powerful and impactful story that I'll certainly remember long after setting it down."--Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

". . . enjoyable to read and very believable, as it describes life in Oak Ridge well."--D. Ray Smith, Oak Ridge historian and author of the column "Historically Speaking"

"Fission delves into the constraints imposed on women who dared to harbor ambitions beyond being homemakers and mothers . . . an interesting and highly accessible account of this world-changing time and place."--Galina Vromen, author of Hill of Secrets

About the Author

Leslie R. Schover is a renowned psychologist who brings her knowledge of people, relationships, and sexuality to her first novel. Formerly a professor of behavioral science at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, her digital health company, Will2Love.com, won an Innovation Prize in the Astellas C3 Changing Cancer Care contest, and she has received the Holland Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Psychosocial Oncology Association and the Excellence in Clinical Health Psychology Award from the Society for Health Psychology. Leslie lives in Houston, Texas.