The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager

A stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls—a breathtaking debut about time, art, and the enduring power of love.

“This wildly inventive, deeply moving novel blurs the line between art and those who behold it.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

Something magical is happening inside this museum. Jean’s life has been frozen in time by his painter father, the legendary Henri Matisse. Night after night, he watches museum guests come and go, observing the world from within his gilded frame. But when Claire, a lonely museum employee, begins her evening rounds, everything changes.

Claire feels an inexplicable pull to the alluring man in the corner of the Matisse. Did he just move? In an extraordinary twist of fate, she discovers she can step through the frame and into Jean’s world—a lush snapshot of family life in France during the First World War. Together, they explore the gallery’s other paintings come to life: glittering parties, exhilarating horse races, windswept beach bluffs.

As their impossible affair deepens, Claire and Jean must fight to preserve their love against forces both inside and outside the museum. Will their extraordinary connection defy the confines of reality, or will the barriers between art and life prove too powerful to overcome?

Perfect for fans of magical realism and literary fiction, The Art of Vanishing is a spellbinding exploration of loneliness, connection, and the transformative power of love. Morgan Pager’s debut will transport you into a world where masterpieces breathe and love transcends time itself.

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