Texta Book Club: The Sitter by Angela O'Keeffe

The Sitter is a spellbinding work that will challenge readers to let go of their preconceptions of what fiction should be, give in to the undertow, and be carried away. ... It is an elegant mosaic that interrogates power, female relationships, and the purpose of art.

– Books+Publishing

To coincide with our final exhibition of the year, we will be discussing The Sitter by Angela O'Keeffe.

Paris, 2020. A writer is confined to her hotel room during the early days of the pandemic, struggling to finish a novel about Hortense Cezanne, wife and sometime muse of the famous painter. Dead for more than a century, Hortense has been reawakened by this creative endeavour, and now shadows the writer through the locked-down city. But Hortense, always subject to the gaze of others, is increasingly intrigued by the woman before her. Who is she and what event hides in her past?

Heartbreaking and perfectly formed, The Sitter explores the tension between artist and subject, and between the stories told about us and the stories we choose to tell.

About Texta

Texta is no ordinary book club; it's for people who love art. We use fiction (mostly) to unpack the subjects, themes and emotions of art. Conversation is never colourless, and is facilitated by our Engagement Coordinator, Renae Belton, and University Librarian Nicole Clark.

Texta is held throughout the year on Tuesday evenings. You can purchase this title from the Bookshop at QUT Depot.