Alice Hoffman’s new novel The Invisible Hour examines love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.

When Mia Jacob discovers The Scarlet Letter, written almost 200 years earlier, it seems to tell the story of her mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community, an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden, and books are considered evil. How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her? As Mia begins to abandon the rules that have governed her life, she realizes that reading has the power to transport her to other worlds and that love is stronger than any chains that bind.

Hoffman is the author of more than 30 works of fiction, including the Practical Magic series, the Oprah’s Book Club selection Here on Earth, and The Dovekeepers, lauded by Toni Morrison as "a major contribution to twenty-first century literature."