The Museum of Extraordinary Things is the new novel by Alice Hoffman. The novel is set in New York City in 1911. At the center of the book is Coralie, daughter of a cruel man who runs The Museum of Extraordinary Things in Coney Island. The museum is full of every kind of freak of nature he can find or create, including his own daughter, turning her into a human mermaid.

When Coralie comes upon a young photographer one night in the woods, her whole life changes, and she begins to imagine her freedom.

This novel is historical fiction at its best, depicting the labor struggles of the time as well as two very real fires that devastated the city. Hoffman imagines the lives of those who might have lived at the time, and turn of the century NY comes alive. She is a wonderful storyteller; the book is filled with magic, and her characters practically leap off the page.