Necessary Lies

Set during one of the twentieth century’s most turbulent times, Eva Stachniak’s debut historical novel, Necessary Lies (2000), tells the story of Anna, an English lecturer from the University of Wroclaw in Communist Poland who arrives in Montreal, Canada in 1981 on a teaching fellowship. When martial law is declared in her country, she decides to stay in Canada though emigrating means abandoning her activist husband and deserting her home.

In 1981, Anna is offered a fellowship to study English at McGill University in Montreal. Excited about the opportunity and the chance to escape her country for a little while, she leaves behind her husband, Peter, an activist with the Solidarity movement. His group works to disrupt the Soviet presence in Poland. Anna and Peter are both from the same town, Wroclaw, which used to be a part of Germany until the end of World War II. Born there, Peter was just five years old when the Russians seized the town, forcing his family to evacuate.

Anna’s tenure is just six months long but while in Canada, she meets William, a music professor. They share a fascination with one another due to their similar backgrounds. William was born in Breslau when it was still an important part of German culture. Anna’s birthplace was also inhabited by Germans until after the war when it was replaced by Polish settlers. Anna and William share heritage and cultural overlap, drawing them together and cementing their relationship. Their friendship quickly turning into a love affair, Anna decides to end her marriage to Peter, telling him that she simply fell in love with someone else. The declaration of martial law in Poland influences her decision to stay in Canada. She has no complaints against Peter but she has no desire to return home. Her mother tries to dissuade her from leaving Peter, telling Anna that she will not accept a German from William’s birthplace as her son-in-law.



In spite of her mother’s advice, Anna divorces Peter and marries William. After ten years of marriage, William dies suddenly of a heart attack, leaving behind a grieving Anna. In the midst of her grief, Anna uncovers William’s betrayal. For the entire length of their relationship, William carried on a secret long-distance love affair with a female journalist living in Germany.

Searching for the truth, Anna returns to a markedly changed Poland. Communism has fallen and the Berlin Wall torn down. History is being rewritten as Anna confronts her past and all that drove her away from her home and into the arms of another man. Her ex-husband is angry with her, and Anna now sees herself through his eyes. She sees herself through the eyes of her mother. She meets William’s German lover, Ursula, a strong anti-Nazi advocate. Still smarting from the betrayal, Anna’s meeting with Ursula is awkward and difficult since both women loved the same man. The two women have a lot in common and there is much common ground between them.

Anna’s life comes full circle when she returns to Poland. Much of the story is autobiographical, including Stachniak’s birthplace and many experiences from her own life. Stachniak invokes time and place through energy, sights, and smells. She tracks history over a period with aplomb, portraying her characters through their journey of survival in an age of many atrocities.



Necessary Lies is about the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive the life we are living. It is about the discovery of self as much as uncovering the secrets and lies that form the tapestry of an individual life. The novel is also a sharp reminder of where we come from.

Stachniak is an international bestseller and award-winning author. Her first short story, “Marble Heroes,” was published in 1994. Her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.com/Books in Canada First Novel Review in 2000. The Winter Palace (2012) and Empress of the Night (2014) are both based on the life of Catherine the Great and were bestsellers in Canada, Germany, and Poland. Stachniak was born in Wroclaw, Poland. In 1981, she moved to Canada, working for Radio Canada International. She worked at Sheridan College, teaching English and humanities. In 1988, Stachniak received a scholarship to McGill University in Montreal, graduating with a PhD in literature. She now lives in Toronto. Her latest novel, The Chosen Maiden was published in January of 2017.