by Jessie Burton is a sequel to her popular 2014 book The Miniaturist, a sumptuous tale set in Amsterdam’s golden age. The House of Fortune picks up in 1705, 18 years after the previous novel ended, and focuses on Thea, a willful young woman who feels hemmed in by her life and has questions about her mysterious past. She lives with her father, Otto, a formerly enslaved Black man, and her aunt, Nella, whose earlier life was the focus of The Miniaturist. Now, the family has fallen on hard times financially and Nella is hunting for a wealthy suitor for Thea, unaware that Thea is conducting a secret affair with Walter, a scene painter at the Schouwburg Theatre. As the family struggles, warnings from the enigmatic “miniaturist” return, putting the family’s future in question. Fans of the previous novel will love Burton’s return, and fans of historical fiction will also enjoy this as a standalone novel.