Lush and frothy, incisive and witty, Shola Von Reinholds decadent queer literary debut immerses readers in the pursuit of aesthetics and beauty, while interrogating the removal and obscurement of Black figures from history. Mathilda has long been attuned to the aesthetics of her environment, and enamoured with the Bright Young Things of the 20s. Her Transfixtions culminate when she uncovers a forgotten' Black Scottish modernist poet, Hermia Drumm. As she endeavours to unearth everything she can about this Black Princess, she enrols in an artist residency dedicated to opposing extravagance and aesthetics. From abnegating Thought Artists, champagne theft and Black Modernisms, to art sabotage, alchemy and lotus-eating proto-luxury communist cults, Mathilda takes us on extravagant escapades in her attempts to uncover systems of erasure and embody ephemeral ideals of fluidity and beauty long held captive.
