Strange Shape of Love Reading with Herta Feely

Author Reading with Herta Feely — The Strange Shape of Love

Wednesday, April 8, 2026
5:00 PM

Join us at Books on Third for a special author reading with award winning author Herta Feely, who will read from her newest novel, The Strange Shape of Love.

In this compelling literary thriller, Feely explores the complexities of love, identity, and power in the digital age. Following the reading, guests will have the opportunity to ask questions and meet the author.

This event is perfect for readers who enjoy suspenseful, thought-provoking fiction that examines how the past—and the internet—can shape our most intimate relationships.

The Strange Shape of Love follows Charlotte Cooper, a thirty-year-old New York journalist who accepts an assignment in London—a city filled with memories she would rather forget. Just as Charlotte begins to rebuild both her career and her personal life, she reconnects with Rafe, the artist she once loved.

But her fresh start quickly unravels when an anonymous envelope arrives containing explicit photos of Charlotte from years earlier. The message is chillingly clear: abandon her career, home, and lover—or face public humiliation.

With only two weeks to uncover the truth, Charlotte must confront buried secrets, powerful men determined to control her story, and difficult truths that could cost her everything.

Herta Feely is the award-winning author of Saving Phoebe Murrow (2016), a gripping debut published in both the United States and the United Kingdom that examines the dark undercurrents of social media and modern parenting.

Her new novel, The Strange Shape of Love (2025), continues her exploration of how digital culture influences our most personal relationships. Her short stories and memoirs have appeared in The Sun, The Potomac Review, Big Muddy, and other literary journals and anthologies including Enhanced Gravity and She Can Find Her Way.

Her essay “The Wall,” a reflection on immigration, received the American Independent Writer’s Award for Best Published Essay. Feely has also received fellowships from the James Jones Literary Society and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. In addition to her fiction, she co-edited the anthology Confessions: Fact or Fiction?, which explores the blurred lines between memoir and imagination.

Born in Yugoslavia, raised in Germany, and immigrating to the United States at age seven, Feely brings a global perspective and deep empathy to her storytelling. She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband.

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