First published 2008
Louisa works as a chambermaid in a New York hotel where the famous inventor Nikola Tesla lives as a reclusive guest. On New Year's Day 1943, she spots the eccentric scientist and decides she must know him. Through their shared love of pigeons, an unusual friendship develops. Louisa listens to Tesla's stories of his immigrant journey and his life as a visionary inventor. She pieces together his remarkable past while navigating her own strange circumstances. Her father plans to leave in a time machine he has built. A mysterious mechanic named Arthur appears, possibly from the future. As these bizarre events unfold around her, Louisa begins to understand something important about the connection between love and creation. She realizes she has grasped a truth about human connection that Tesla, despite his genius, never discovered.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: New York
Period: 1943
1 pages · MP3 CD · Blackstone Publishing