
Book Summary:
Psychiatrist Andrew Marlow is assigned to treat Robert Oliver, a renowned painter who is arrested after attacking a painting in Washington, D.C.’s National Gallery. Oliver refuses to speak, and Marlow—curious and compelled—begins to investigate his past to uncover what drove him to such a shocking act.
Through interviews with the women in Oliver’s life and the discovery of mysterious 19th-century letters between a French woman and her uncle, Marlow is pulled into a century-spanning mystery involving art, love, obsession, and madness. As he gets closer to the truth, he also confronts his own understanding of passion and the power of creativity.
It’s a slow-unfolding, beautifully written novel blending historical fiction, psychological drama, and artistic mystery.
About the Author:
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Elizabeth Kostova is an American author, best known for her debut novel, The Historian (2005), which became an international bestseller.
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She studied at Yale and later earned an MFA from the University of Michigan.
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Her writing often blends literary fiction with historical and gothic elements, and she’s known for her detailed, research-rich narratives.
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Kostova has a deep interest in art, history, and Eastern Europe, all of which influence her storytelling.