The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey
At the turn of the 20th century, teenaged Nairna Liath and her father Tavish roam the Scottish countryside, making a scant living by conning rural folk with fake seances, tarot readings, and water dowsing. Nairna longs to settle down somewhere where there is steady employment, housing, and food. She has a secret, one that could set them up in that life, but one that could also threaten their safety in a superstitious country—her abilities to talk to the dead and read the future are real indeed. When Edinburgh society cries witch, Nairna and Tavish flee to Boston, where she reinvents herself as Nora Grey. As Nora, she masters self-hypnosis and becomes the toast of the American spiritualist circuit. Four decades earlier, a young widow named Lottie is institutionalized against her will in a remote Welsh asylum, where she is subjected to horrific medical experimentation. Lottie is powerless and voiceless, until, from the future, Nora calls out to her and invites her to speak. The connection between the two women is strong enough to bridge decades.
Kathleen Kaufman has penned a novel that is the right amount of spooky, spellbinding, and heart-wrenching. Nairna/Nora and Lottie are both young and under the control of others, with few opportunities to make their own decisions. They both struggle to find their voices, their agency, and their own power. Although their psychic connection is another unasked-for part of their lives, it is more welcome because it brings them to each other. The reason for this mysterious connection is learned early on, but it is inspiring to see how they find strength in one another. Just like its titular character, this novel is mesmerizing.
