Looking for a new book to occupy your winter break or a holiday gift? Barnes & Noble’s book of the year, “Mona’s Eyes” by Thomas Schlesser, is a solution to boredom and “gift block.”
With 52 weeks, 52 artworks and 52 touching moments between a grandfather and granddaughter, “Mona’s Eyes” made Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year for its powerful story and conversation of art history throughout Paris.
The book is told from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl named Mona, who experiences a sudden case of blindness that takes over the narrative with uncertainty about the blindness permanence. While her parents are under the impression that her grandfather is taking her to doctor appointments, instead he takes her to see historically important artwork once a week before her sight may be lost forever.
“If she really is to go blind, she will be storing up this bank of beauty in the world,” Lexie Smyth, fiction campaign manager for Barnes & Noble, said. “It is both about the power of art, but it’s also a really lovely family story. Both my grandfathers have passed away, and it was a great, lovely way to relive that bond of grandchild and grandparent.”
“Mona’s Eyes” had a recent publication on Aug. 26; yet its story and popularity made it the nominee for book of the year. Booksellers start gathering a list of books to nominate halfway through the year to get an idea for possible winners.
Yet first-time author Schlesser and his book came onto the scene less than three months before the winner was announced and won the title.
Barnes & Noble have also announced two children’s books of the year: “I Am Rebel,” by Ross Montgomery and “Growing Home,” by Beth Ferry, Terry Fan and Eric Fan, as well as gift book of the year, the cookbook “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love,” by Samin Nosrat.
“We love books that are obscure but good,” Jude Saur, a worker for the Barnes & Noble in Eugene, said. “It’s a book that will remind people why they love to read.”
Its ratings can speak for the book’s content as well, with a 4.9 out of 5 stars on the Barnes & Noble website, and a 3.71 on Goodreads.
Through art, travel, and family, “Mona’s Eyes” has touched readers across Barnes & Noble stores. Its sudden and new existence left an imprint on booksellers. “It’s a travel book, and an art book; it crosses so many different worlds,” Saur said.
“It changes you,” Saur said.“There is beauty in this world you don’t even know, if you just use your eyes.”
Whether your winter schedule is full of gaps and free time, or filled to the brim, this novel will act as a mental break, educational pastime or a thought-provoking way to pass time. “Mona’s Eyes,” according to Barnes & Noble everywhere, is worth the read and will leave you thinking differently than before you opened its cover.
