Huxley & Hiro is delighted to welcome acclaimed author Caroline Woods for a special morning event celebrating the paperback release of her novel, The Mesmerist. Join us for an engaging conversation as Caroline discusses the inspiration behind the book and its journey to paperback, followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Book Description:

Before hypnotism, there was Mesmerism. In 1894 Minneapolis, spiritualism of every stripe is all the rage, and women are dying under mysterious circumstances. When a new guest arrives at the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers, refusing to speak, the stories of unexplained deaths seem unconnected—until Faith’s suspicious reticence sets the house abuzz with whispers of dark magic.Abby, the Bethany Home’s treasurer, thinks the rumors swirling around Faith are nonsense, but she recognizes the danger of a good story. Abby tasks Faith’s roommate, May, with tracing Faith’s path to the Bethany Home. Desperate to end her year at Bethany Home engaged and on track to her happily-ever-after, May begins digging into Faith’s shadowy background. But the more May learns, the more she’s forced to question the dubious motives of everyone around her, and as the body count rises, May must reevaluate her future, and which lies she’s willing to tell, for whom. Inspired by a true crime that rocked the nation, Caroline Woods reimagines a classic American story through the eyes of three unforgettable women.

About the Author:

Caroline Woods is the author of The Mesmerist (Doubleday), a 2024 NPR Book of the Year, as well as Fräulein M. (Gallery Books) and The Lunar Housewife (Doubleday, June 2022), which received acclaim from The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the TODAY Show, the Read with Jenna community, and more.

A Pushcart Prize nominee, Caroline has taught creative writing at Loyola University Chicago, Boston University, and the Boston Conservatory. In 2008 she completed an MFA in Creative Writing at BU, where she studied under Leslie Epstein, Ha Jin, and Allegra Goodman. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia, where she was a Jefferson Scholar.

Caroline has loved scary stories, little-known history, and the supernatural since she was very small. (And her daughters are now following in her footsteps, eek!) As a teenager, she published a book of ghost stories, Haunted Delaware, which received praise as a self-publishing success story in The Village Voice, Writer’s Digest, and elsewhere.

Raised in Delaware, she now lives near Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Following the discussion, Caroline will take questions from the audience, providing further insight into her experiences and the themes explored in her book.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

All Ages

Free Entrance, Registration Required