What is the title of your latest release?
THE MISSING PAGES
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Harry Widener, a young and ardent book collector boards the titanic taking with him a rare and precious book, decades later a young woman working at the Widener Library, that Harry’s mother built in memory, thinks the ghost of Harry Widener is trying to communicate the missing pages of his story.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
After hearing about the legend of Harry Widener during a college tour at Harvard University with my daughter.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely!
What are three words that describe your hero?
Passionate, intelligent and sensitive.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That the rare book that Harry bought in London before he boarded the Titanic was so small it could fit into the palm of one’s hand.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I write.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I eat ice cream nearly every day!
Describe your writing space/office!
My office is very cozy. I try to keep my desk without too much clutter, but I keep my research books within arm’s reach.
Who is an author you admire?
Alice Hoffman
Is there a book that changed your life?
100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I’ve been writing historical fiction for twenty-five years, so now “the call” for me is making sure I’ve found the right editor for the book I want to write. I definitely found a wonderful home with my editor and publishing house.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical Fiction and Literary Fiction
What’s your favorite movie?
The English Patient
What is your favorite season?
Spring
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Since my birthday is in the spring, I love fresh-cut flowers from my garden and breakfast in bed!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved the series “Drops of God” on Apple TV. It’s emotional, riveting and incredibly original. Plus, the writing and directing is spectacular. I can’t wait for the second season.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
That’s a hard question since I love so many different cuisines. But Mediterranean or Italian is probably my two favorites.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m currently working on a novel about Edith Wharton and her time in Paris during WWI working with child refugees from Belgium.
A ghost in a library. A story waiting to be told.
The Missing Pages is a rich, lyrical novel that reminds us that books are as eternal as the soul.
1912: Harry Widener, a promising and passionate book collector, boards theTitanic holding tight to a priceless volume he’s just purchased in London. After catastrophe strikes the ship, Harry’s last known words are that he must return to his cabin to retrieve his latest treasure. Neither the young man nor the book are ever seen again. Honoring her son’s memory, Harry’s mother builds the Harry Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to house his extensive book collection and ensure his legacy.
Decades later, Violet Hutchins, a Harvard sophomore recovering from her own great loss, is working as a page at the Widener Library. When mysterious things begin happening at the library, Violet wonders if Harry Widener’s ghost is trying to communicate with her, seeking Violet to uncover a long-buried secret that the ardent young Harry took with him to the grave.
For fans of The Midnight Library and The Book Thief, bestselling author, Alyson Richman has written a love story, a ghost story, and an elegy to the healing power of books.
Women's Fiction Historical | Horror [Union Square & Co., On Sale: October 14, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781454953210 / eISBN: 9781454953227]
Alyson Richman is the internationally best selling author of The Mask Carver's Son, Swedish Tango, The Last Van Gogh, and The Lost Wife. Her novels are published in over ten languages. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and a former Thomas J. Watson Fellow. She lives in Long Island New York with her husband and two children.
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