By Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman’s The Invisible Hour is a quietly powerful novel about breaking free and claiming ownership of your own life. In many ways, it feels like an important read in 2025. It’s a reminder of the power of education, autonomy, and the courage it takes to choose yourself, and is a book the book banners won’t want you to read.
The story follows Mia Jacob, a young woman raised in a rigid, patriarchal religious community who secretly educates herself through banned books and ultimately risks everything to escape and define her future on her own terms.
From the start, I was rooting hard for Mia, and Hoffman makes her journey both deeply personal and universally resonant. The book is satisfying and poignant without feeling heavy-handed, and it lingers long after the final page.
Five stars.