This is a great post about the “stolen identity” genre. Like the Russian Anastasia Romanov story, but from both sides:
Source: decepticonsensual
The Stolen Identity Genre
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Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart (which has a bit of twist I won’t spoil)
The movie “A History of Violence” deals with this aftermath. What happens when you discover your husband was different before he met you.
Can you forgive the man he was becasue of the man he has become.
Heck, this was the plot of the first Addams Family movie.
One of my favorite O. Henry short stories deals with this. There’s one which I can’t remember the name, but basically the equivalent of Billy the Kid kills a young heir who kinda sucks and then assumes his identity.
I really liked the way Father Brown did this one, in “The Truth in the Wine”.