Out of the Shadows

A woman's unexpected connection to a nineteenth-century writer changes her life in the new novel from the author of Crossing Washington Square

Clara Fitzgerald's recent losses have set her adrift, personally and professionally. Remembering the stories her mother used to tell her, Clara decides to research her ancestry-only to uncover an extraordinary link to Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. With her sister in tow and the help of Kay, a retired Shelley scholar, Clara embarks on a search for the author's long lost journals and letters. As a bond among the three women grows, and as the profound connection between the past and present deepens, Clara comes closer to realizing where her heart truly belongs.

Joanne Rendell was born and raised in the UK. She hasa Ph.D. in literature and is married to an NYU professor.