Book Review: The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

Rating: 3.5⭐️

As the novel begins, we meet fifteen-year-old Mia Jacob as she plans her escape from the oppressive cult in western Massachusetts, where she has spent all her young life. Mia was born to Ivy Jacob, a teenager from an affluent family in Boston who left when pregnant with Mia and joined the community headed by Joel Davis whom Ivy later marries- a decision she soon comes to regret. Joel is controlling and life in the commune is governed by strict rules and regulations and minimal contact with the outside world and those found guilty of any indiscretion are severely punished. Mia has broken the rules by visiting the library on the sly and reading books. On one of her visits, Mia finds an old copy of The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the library and falls in love with the story, which she finds bears similarity to her mother’s life and is intrigued by the inscription inside the book. When tragedy strikes, Mia finds no reason to remain with the cult. The narrator follows Mia as forges a new life for herself with the help of Sarah, the town librarian. Her love for books and reading remains a driving force in her life. However, Joel never backs down from his pursuit of Mia. In a surprising turn of events, adult Mia finds herself transported to 1837, where she meets young author Nathaniel Hawthorne – a meeting that would irrevocably impact the lives of both Mia and the young author.

Revolving around themes of mother-daughter relationships, found family, women’s rights, hope, healing and the power of books, The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a beautifully penned novel. However, I enjoyed the premise of this story more than the execution. I really liked the protagonist and the supporting female characters. I loved how the author depicts the transformative power of books and how Mia finds inspiration and hope through her love for reading. The first half of the novel had me hooked, but my interest waned in the second half. I would have enjoyed this novel more had we spent more time with Mia in the years after she escaped from the cult instead of rushing through it (more telling than showing) to the point when adult Mia traveled back in time. The commentary on women’s rights both historically and in the present day was timely and relevant but could have been presented better if more deeply embedded into the narrative. The use of magical realism and the time travel elements from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s life and though I did find parts of this segment interesting, I wasn’t quite invested in this part of the story. The past and present timelines felt a tad disjointed, resulting in a narrative that lacked both cohesion and depth. Overall, while I did not dislike the story, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

I must mention the author’s exquisitely penned, heartfelt letter to the reader where she talks about her inspiration for this novel and much more.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of The Invisible Hour. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

“A book doesn’t live when it’s written. It lives when it’s read.”