Musings on the The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Tarot, Fiction, and a Real-Life Discovery: A Tale of Two Decks

For any Tarot enthusiast, The Cloisters by Katy Hays offers an irresistible premise. The novel unfolds in New York City, where Ann Stilwell arrives from her uneventful life in Washington State to begin a prestigious summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum. But when that opportunity evaporates upon arrival, a twist of fate lands her at The Cloisters—a gothic museum known for its medieval art and lush gardens.

There, Ann finds herself immersed in a research project that aims to rewrite the history of Tarot. Her colleagues believe that Tarot cards, commonly used for games during the Renaissance, were also tools of divination—long before the documented rise of their mystical use. Initially skeptical, Ann's doubts begin to unravel after the discovery of a long-lost 15th-century Tarot deck. As she starts using the cards to explore her own difficult past and glimpse possible futures, she, along with her colleagues, becomes increasingly obsessed. Slowly, their darker impulses surface, driving the story into a seductive, dangerous spiral.

Fantastical, indulgent, and a bit far-fetched, The Cloisters is a delicious guilty pleasure—but readers, take note: this is no gentle Tarot tale. Beneath the glittering surface lies a cautionary story of ambition, power, and greed. As Tarot lovers, we know the cards as sacred tools of introspection, healing, and personal growth—but that is not the Tarot of this tale. The novel’s portrayal may be unsettling for those who hold the cards in reverence. Yet, its haunting narrative is evocative in the tradition of classic cautionary folklore—think the darker origins of the Brothers Grimm. If approached from that lens, The Cloisters becomes a compelling and worthwhile read.

But while fiction has its power, a real-world Tarot discovery has recently captured our imagination in a much more uplifting way.

Until recently, only two incomplete copies of a rare Tarot deck by Joseph Feautrier were known—one housed at the Musée du Vieux Marseille, the other in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. That changed when renowned French playing card historian Thierry Depaulis informed Tarot de Marseille Heritage of a third, tucked-away copy—the only complete version known to exist.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Wilfried Houdouin (creator of the Tarot of Marseille Millennium Edition), Italian tarotologist and filmmaker Alfredo Mazzara, and Tarot historian Yves Renaud, rights were secured to faithfully reproduce this exceptional deck. For the first time, the public can explore a newly printed, authentic edition of this once-lost Marseille Tarot treasure.

To truly appreciate the magic of this discovery, we highly recommend the captivating video below by Alfredo Mazzara, which beautifully tells the story and captures the wonder of this historic find.

The Video is in Italian, but users can adjust the YouTube subtitles in the settings area (1) Turn on auto generated subtitles (2) Enable auto translate and select your preferred language.

Tarot Arts is proud to stock  decks from Tarot de Marseilles Heritage including the recently published complete Joseph Feautrier Deck.