First published 2025
Mona sits in the doctor's office as her grandfather Henry learns the devastating news. The ten-year-old girl experienced a brief episode of blindness, and doctors cannot rule out permanent vision loss. They cannot explain what caused it or when it might return. Henry refuses to let his granddaughter face this darkness without preparation. He devises a plan: every Wednesday for one year, they will visit a single work of art in Paris's museums. Fifty-two Wednesdays, fifty-two masterpieces. Together they stand before paintings by Botticelli and Basquiat, absorbing each artist's vision and learning how their work changed the world. As Mona studies each piece, she discovers lessons about generosity, love, loss, and revolution. Her grandfather's patient teaching transforms both her understanding of art and her approach to life. Through their weekly journeys across five centuries of Western art, Mona prepares for whatever her future holds while deepening the bond with the man who refuses to let her face it alone.
Genres: family, art, literary-fiction, historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, mentor-mentee
Setting: Paris, Museums
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
580 pages · Paperback · Europa Editions