The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

In this multiple plot novel, we come to realize that the different characters in each story are unknowingly connected as the book progresses.  Van Booy shifts back and forth in time and place from World War II in France to 2010 Los Angeles, telling the stories of John Bray, a wounded American soldier in World War II, intersecting with a German infantryman named "Victor Hugo" in France.  The characters also include Martin, a handyman at a retirement home, Amelia, a blind museum curator in New York City and Danny, a Hollywood Hill film director.  Through acts of compassion from strangers, an unbroken human chain is formed.  Each individual's life is connected one way or another through time.  The compelling imagery of war and separation will stay with me for a long time.