The Violet Hour

A stylish, ambitious novel--touching on themes of power, money, and desire--that evokes the art world and all of its moral complexities. Thomas Haller has achieved the kind of fame that most artists only dream of: shows in London and New York, paintings sold for a fortune. The vision he presents to the world is one of an untouchable genius at the top of his game. It is also a lie. Between his ruthless new dealer and a property mogul obsessed with his work, the appetite for Thomas and his art is all-consuming. Who is the real Thomas Haller? His oldest friend and former dealer, Lorna, might once have known--before Thomas traded their early intimacy for international fame. On the eve of his latest show, the luminaries of the art world gather. But the sudden death of a young man has put everyone on edge--and so begins a chain of events that will lead a group of friends back into the past to confront who they have become. A story of deception, power-play, and longing, The Violet Hour exposes the unsettling underbelly of the art world, asking, who is granted admission to a world that seems to glitter and shimmer, and who is left outside, their faces pressed to the glass?