Author Description

Ten-year-old Mona has just experienced her worst fear: for one terrifying hour, the world went completely dark. Doctors cannot promise it will not happen again. As her parents struggle with worry and uncertainty, Mona’s grandfather Henry, a one-eyed art historian, makes a bold decision. If Mona may lose her sight, he will fill her mind and heart with as much beauty as possible before that happens. Every Wednesday for a year, instead of going to therapy, Mona and Henry secretly visit the great museums of Paris. In front of one masterpiece each week, he teaches her how to truly see: colours and lines, yes, but also stories of war and peace, love and loss, courage and fear. From timeless classics to modern paintings, each artwork becomes a doorway into history and a mirror of Mona’s own anxiety, hope, and growing strength. Blending emotional storytelling with accessible art history, this novel is a moving journey through museums, memory, and the bond between a girl and her grandfather. Perfect for readers who love character-driven fiction, books about art, and inspiring family stories, it shows how paintings can become a secret treasure chest of images that stay alive inside us, even when the world around us grows dark.