Two debut novels hitting shelves this winter plunge readers into hidden worlds of privilege, danger and obsession. Michelle Maryk and Karen Winn both centered their books around secret societies-without knowing the other was doing the same.
At a Glance
- Winn’s The Society (Jan. 20) explores a Boston club tied to the opium trade
- Maryk’s The Found Object Society (Feb. 10) follows elites who pay to experience death through objects
- Both books use missing mothers as emotional engines for their protagonists
- Why it matters: Readers get two fresh takes on the timeless allure of exclusive groups and the cost of belonging
The authors discovered the overlap while promoting their releases and sat down for a joint interview, edited for clarity.
Boston’s Real-Life Backdrop
Winn wrote much of The Society inside The ‘Quin, Boston’s private social club, letting the city’s red-brick alleys and gaslit streets shape the Knox society’s fictional headquarters.
“It magically unfolded,” Winn said. “Boston’s palpable sense of both history and mystery makes it the perfect backdrop for an exclusive, hidden world of power and privilege.”
A Martini Glass Spark
Maryk’s concept arrived in March 2023 while she scrolled past an Etsy ad for a 1920s etched martini glass.
“I pictured an elegant dame taking a sip, leaving red lipstick on the rim,” she said. “Then I pictured her dying dramatically at that very moment. Where did her energy go? What if one could tap into that energy and experience her death but live to tell?”
The phrase “Found Object” slammed into her “like a mallet to my temple,” she recalled.
Buildings as Narrators
Winn chose an unusual point-of-view: the Knox society’s headquarters itself.
“As the story evolved, I realized I needed an insider’s perspective,” she said. “Who better to provide it than the building itself?”
The Mother Void
Both protagonists carry mother-shaped holes. Greta, in Maryk’s novel, believes her lie led to the car crash that killed her parents. She numbs the guilt with drugs, booze and risky sex until the Found Object Society offers a different escape.
“The experience of living someone else’s last moments becomes the only thing that matters,” Maryk said. “It’s the ultimate addiction.”
Objects as Time Capsules
Antiques drive both plots. Vivian, Winn’s antiques dealer, repairs a carousel horse to earn Knox society access and hunts a 19th-century desk that might name her heir to the club’s fortune.
“Objects are migrating relics of time and place,” Winn said. “They carry history, personal connections and clues.”
The Cult Comparison
Secret societies fascinate because they promise belonging, Maryk argues.
“It’s like a posh version of a cult,” she said. “You matter. You’re important. Unless you break the rules-then watch out.”
Personal Echoes
Winn drew on her own life: she belonged to UPenn’s Tabard society and worked as an ICU nurse in Boston at 22, straddling mortality and youth.
Would Greta join the Knox club?
“A gorgeous Beacon Hill location, devilishly handsome members, a full bar?” Maryk laughed. “Um, yeah, Greta’s in.”
Key Takeaways
- Both novels use secret societies to examine privilege, grief and the human craving for exclusivity
- Winn’s Boston setting and Maryk’s object-based magic offer distinct entry points into similar themes
- The missing-mother motif drives each heroine toward dangerous belonging
- Readers can preorder both books now ahead of their January and February release dates
