Renaissance tale written in the cards

THIS week’s recommendation was one which I picked up in Waterstones in Newcastle where it’s their book of the month in March ( you receive a free hot drink in-store ) plus there was a BOGOF offer.

After hearing good things from a fellow customer I bought it and I’m glad I did dip my toe into the atmospheric worlds of art and academia.

Katy Hays’s debut novel, The Cloisters, is making waves in the literary world, drawing comparisons to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.

Set against the backdrop of tarot, obsession, academic envy, and Renaissance mystique, Hays navigates the balance between suspense and melodrama.

At the heart of the story is Ann Stilwell, a shy and complicated young woman captivated by the allure of the Renaissance’s overlooked corners and its manifestations of power.

Ann seeks refuge from small-town life and embarks on a summer internship trip that takes an unexpected turn, leading her to the Met Cloisters in New York.

The Met Cloisters, with its medieval charm and enigmatic staff, becomes the stage for Ann’s entanglement in a web of intrigue.

Alongside colleagues Rachel and Leo, Ann finds herself drawn into the search for a 15th-century tarot deck, orchestrated by the charismatic yet menacing Patrick

Roland. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Ann is forced to confront the suffocating grip of jealousy, greed, and ambition that pervades the museum’s atmosphere.

Narrated through Ann’s eyes, the novel invites sympathy for her insecurities.

Questions arise about her motivations and the true dynamics of her relationships with Rachel and Patrick.

The author explores themes of fate and destiny, blurring lines between reality and illusion as Ann grapples with her own desires and the allure of power.

As the story reaches its climax, the focus shifts from the quest for the tarot cards to the interplay of ambition and manipulation among the characters

A great

debut.

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