Following the success of her critically acclaimed debut, The Madonnas of Leningrad, Debra Dean returns with a breathtaking novel of love, madness, and devotion set against the extravagant royal court of eighteenth-century St. Petersburg. Join the bestselling author at Books & Books on Tuesday, November 6, at 7pm for the Cayman Islands launch of The Mirrored World.

Part of the Books & Books International Visiting Author Series, this free event is generously sponsored by Camana Bay and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

About the Book

Born to a Russian family of lower nobility, Xenia, an eccentric dreamer who cares little for social conventions, falls in love with Andrei, a charismatic soldier and singer in the Empress’s Imperial choir. Though husband and wife adore each other, their happiness is overshadowed by the absurd demands of life at the royal court and by Xenia’s growing obsession with having a child—a desperate need that is at last fulfilled with the birth of her daughter. But then a tragic vision comes true, and a shattered Xenia descends into grief, undergoing a profound transformation that alters the course of her life. Turning away from family and friends, she begins giving all her money and possessions to the poor. Then, one day, she mysteriously vanishes.

Years later, dressed in the tatters of her husband’s military uniform and answering only to his name, Xenia is discovered tending the paupers of St. Petersburg’s slums. Revered as a soothsayer and a blessed healer to the downtrodden, she is feared by the royal court and its new Empress, Catherine, who perceives her deeds as a rebuke to their lavish excesses. In this evocative and elegantly written tale, Dean reimagines the intriguing life of Xenia of St. Petersburg, a patron saint of her city and one of Russia’s most mysterious and beloved holy figures. This is an exploration of the blessings of loyal friendship, the limits of reason, and the true costs of loving deeply.

Select titles by Debra Dean are now available at Books & Books.

About the Author

Debra Dean’s bestselling debut novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a #1 Booksense Pick, a Booklist Top Ten Novel, and an American Library Association Notable Book of the Year. It has been published in twenty languages. Her collection of short stories, Confessions of a Falling Woman, won the Paterson Fiction Prize and a Florida Book Award. The Mirrored World is her second novel.

A native of Seattle, WA, Dean worked as an actor in the New York theatre for nearly a decade before becoming a writer. She lives in Miami, FL and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Florida International University.

For up to date information on all Books & Books events in Grand Cayman, visit www.booksandbooks.com, like Books & Books (Cayman) on Facebook and follow @BooksandBooksKY on Twitter.

• • Books & Books is South Florida’s premier independent bookseller with locations in Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Shops. Founded in 1982 by

Mitchell Kaplan, Books & Books is exceptionally well-respected in the literary community as one of America’s most successful independent bookstores.

• • Books & Books in Grand Cayman is located at the Town Centre of Camana Bay, at 45 Market Street, where it is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 9:00pm. The store number is 345-640-2665.