An inspiring journey across five centuries of art in the company of 10-year-old Mona and her grandfather, Henry. They have only fifty-two Wednesdays to visit fifty-two masterpieces and commit to memory what is most beautiful in the world before Mona loses her sight forever.

A novel of initiation that does for art what Jostein Gaarder's novel Sophie's World did for philosophy, with the emotional impact of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and the readability of Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Thomas Schlesser's sensational debut novel Mona's Eyes is at once a moving book about the fullness of life and a deeply touching story about the special relationship between a girl and her grandfather.

The doctors can find no explanation for ten-year-old Mona's sudden, brief episode of blindness, but they all agree that it might come back, and that permanent blindness cannot be ruled out. Mona's grandfather Henry may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty. Each week on Wednesday, for an entire year, they visit one masterpiece, each week a new one. On these visits, Mona and her grandfather will experience a full range of emotions; their enchantment as well as their melancholy will be complete, and their lives will never be the same. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona will discover not only the power of art but also the meaning of generosity, doubt, melancholy, loss, love, memory, revolt, and so much more.

With the brio of a novelist, the erudition of an art historian, and the exuberance of one who is alive to life's wonders, Thomas Schlesser has written a highly accessible, heartfelt novel that will delight and inspire readers of all ages.