New in Paperback: The Hypnotist by MJ Rose

M.J. Rose’s star is one we’ve been watching rise since the earliest days of January Magazine. Because of that, it’s gratifying to see the rest of the world coming to terms with something we’ve known all along: Rose is a terrific author who writes books worth spending time with. Her work is thoughtful, intelligent and always delves deeply into topics worth considering.

I talked about The Hypnotist in this space last June. The new paperback edition, released today, will make the book available to an even wider readership.

The Hypnotist is the third book in this series, after The Reincarnationist and The Memoirist. Of the three, The Hypnotist is far and away my personal favorite. This is due in one part to the fact that Rose is a writer who seems committed to sharpening her voice and her skills: every book really is better than the last. The other part, for me, is thematic. In The Hypnotist Rose returns to some of the themes I really enjoyed in her earlier works -- notably 2002’s breathtaking Flesh Tones -- a book that was never given the attention it deserved. These are themes that Rose does as well as anyone currently writing, notably art and love and how those things can impact one upon the other.

The Hypnotist was among my favorite books of 2010. As I said in my review from last year, “The Hypnotist is a stunningly satisfying read. Thoughtful, fast-paced and subtly sensual, this is one of the best books thus far from a really terrific writer.”