Morgan Pager + Eli Rallo: The Art of Vanishing

Join us for an in-person event with the content creator behind NYC Book Girl Morgan Pager for the launch of her debut novel The Art of Vanishing. Joining Morgan Pager in conversation is author and internet creator Eli Rallo. This event will be hosted in the Strand Book Store's 3rd floor Rare Book Room at 828 Broadway on 12th Street.

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ACCESSIBILITY:

Strand Book Store is an ADA compliant venue. The event space is accessible via elevator. Please ask a Strand employee upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.

ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our events team at ZXZlbnRzIHwgc3RyYW5kYm9va3MgISBjb20= by June 17 to request.

For further information on accessibility in this space, or to make a request, please contact .

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A stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls—a breathtaking debut about time, art, and the enduring power of love.

Jean’s life is the same day in and day out. Frozen in time by his painter father, the legendary Henri Matisse, Jean observes the ebb and flow of museum guests as they take in the works of his father and other masters like Renoir, Picasso, and Van Gogh. But his world takes a mesmerizing turn when Claire, a new museum employee, enters his life.

Night after night, Claire moves through the gallery where Jean's painting hangs, mopping the floors, talking softly to herself to stem her loneliness and gazing admiringly at the masterpieces above. The alluring man in the corner of the Matisse—is he watching her? Why does she feel a deepening pull to him, like he can see her truest self, her secrets? Did he just move?

In an extraordinary twist of fate, Claire discovers she can step through the frame of Jean's painting and into a bygone era, a lush, verdant snapshot of family life in France in the throes of World War I. She and Jean begin a seemingly impossible affair, falling in love against the backdrop of the gallery’s other paintings come to life—glittering parties, exhilarating horse races, and windswept beach bluffs, that they can move through together and where Claire is seemingly the only modern visitor, alone in possession of this gift.

But as their happiness is threatened by challenges both inside and outside the museum, Claire and Jean find themselves in a fight to preserve the love they’ve only dared to dream of. Will their extraordinary connection defy the confines of reality, or will the forces conspiring against them shatter their carefully curated happiness?

Photo credit: Gabriella Valladares

Morgan Pager is a publishing professional and the content creator behind NYC Book Girl. A graduate of Duke University, Pager lives on the Upper West Side with her husband and their cat. The Art of Vanishing is her first novel.

Photo credit: Jenny Anderson

Eli Rallo is an author and internet creator based between New York City and Houston, Texas. Originally from New Jersey, she’s been a writer since her early days as a suburban theater kid.

She earned her Bachelor of Theatre Arts from the University of Michigan in 2020, with minors in Playwriting, Creative Writing, and Political Science, followed by a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University in 2021.

She went viral on TikTok in the spring of 2020 and has since grown her platform to over one million followers on TikTok and more than 200,000 on Instagram. She gave a TED Talk, Social media doesn't have to be toxic– trust me, I'm an influencer, in February 2021 and frequently speaks to college-aged and post-grad women across the country.

Her debut book, I Didn’t Know I Needed This, was published by Harvest (a HarperCollins imprint) in December 2023, followed by a nationwide tour with several sold-out stops. Her sophomore book of essays, Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?, is set for release in October 2025.

In January 2025, Eli launched Prose Hoes, a lively book club and “literary salon” on Patreon that blends monthly reads with curated playlists, food and wine pairings, journal prompts, themed discussions, community events, and a companion podcast.

In addition to writing and content creation, Eli has worked as a journalist, red carpet interviewer, and podcast host.

When she isn’t writing or TikToking, she enjoys seeing live theatre, reading, eating Chipotle, doing pilates, and taking long, existential walks.

Also check out other Arts events in New York, Literary Art events in New York, Fine Arts events in New York.