The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey

Leaving behind a quiet life of simple comforts, Nairna Liath traverses the Scottish countryside with her charlatan father, Tavish. From remote cottages to rural fairs, the duo scrapes by on paltry coins as Tavish orchestrates “encounters” with the departed, while Nairna interprets tarot cards for those willing to pay for what they wish to hear.But beyond her father’s trickery, Nairna possesses a genuine gift for communicating with the spirit world, one that could get an impoverished country girl branded a witch. A talent inherited from her grandmother, Lottie Liath, widow of a Welsh coalminer, whose story of imprisonment and exploitation in a notorious asylum is calling out to Nairna from four decades past—a warning to break free from the manipulations, greed, and betrayals of others.

"Everything you want in a Gothic tale, doubled: two timelines, a pair of tragic souls linked through blood, and a cabal of occultists and mesmerists, all entangled in the dark unknown. A supremely satisfying novel of women coming into their own power." —Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
 
"Are you ready for a haunting, unputdownable ride through the thrilling world of séances and secrets? Nairna Liath’s rise from a con artist’s daughter to a celebrated medium reveals a chilling family legacy—and a mesmerizing destiny." —Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Box
 
"A mesmerizing journey through Victorian mysticism, where two determined women—separated by time but united in spirit—fight to break free from society’s attempts to subjugate them. Uplifting and richly atmospheric, this novel beautifully captures the tension between destiny and self-determination." —Amanda Skenandore, author of The Medicine Woman of Galveston
 
“In a séance of shame and suffering spanning generations, Kathleen Kaufman’s Nora Grey is an irresistible alchemy of historical fiction, medical misadventure, and the occult, and a moving force for feminism and female intuition. Mesmerizing.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories

"Evocative, with brilliantly-wrought historical detail, The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey is rich in myth, mystery, and an exploration of fate and the soul.” —Kaaron Warren, award-winning author of The Underhistory
 
“The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey wields the gripping tensions between power and subordination, faith and fraud, hope and rage, talent and exploitation. By braiding two timelines featuring two, gifted young women who share an undeniable connection, Kaufman creates an enduring tale about women's fight for self-determination in a world pitted against them. This haunting story summons the best of historical fiction and magical realism.” —Rachel Rueckert, author of If the Tide Turns