Disappearing into time

She had heard of writers who were so affected by loss, writing became a trap rather than a joy, and the words that once came so easily to them vanished, as if they were writing with invisible ink.

Alice Hoffman, The Invisible Hour

In time-travel romances, it is generally the man who goes back in time — or sometimes forward in time —and finds the love of his life. Consider the film Somewhere in Time or that wonderful Jack Finney novel  Time and Again. In Alice Hoffman's 2023 novel The Invisible Hour, a woman makes that journey and finds that lover. And like the hero of Somewhere in Time, she knows exactly who she is looking for.

Mia is born into a New England cult. Her mother, a pregnant teenager, ran away from home and joined the cult, then married its dictatorial leader, Joel. Rarely is anyone allowed to leave the farm. Parents cannot raise their own children. No books are allowed. Everyone must work hard for the good of the community. Joel controls everything and everyone.

Even so, as a teenager Mia sneaks away to a nearby library, where she finds an old copy of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, inscribed, amazingly enough, to her. She steals the book and reads it over and over again.

Later, after her mother's death and with the help of a librarian, Mia manages to escape the farm, but with Joel always in pursuit. She finds refuge back in time in the arms of a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, still struggling to write something worthwhile.

The theme of invisibility runs through Hoffman's book until, near the end, Mia sees the words of her favorite book disappearing and, looking into a mirror, sees that she herself is disappearing. She must return to her own time and let Hawthorne write his great book.

The novel may be about time travel, but don't call it science fiction. It is romantic fantasy, of the kind Alice Hoffman does so well.