The Invention of Everything Else

From the moment on New Year's Day 1943 when she first catches sight of the strange man who occupies a forbidden room on the 33rd floor, Louisa, enthralled by radio dramas and the secret lives of the hotel guests, is determined to befriend him. Winning Tesla's attention through a shared love of pigeons, Louisa - thanks to her finely honed snooping skills - eventually uncovers the story of Tesla's life as a Serbian immigrant and a visionary genius: as a boy he built engines powered by June bugs, as a man he dreamt of pulling electricity from the sky. As Louisa unpeels the layers of Tesla's past, she begins to glimpse the man who, though once esteemed by many, forbade himself human connection.