Published by Simon & Schuster Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, War
Format: Audiobook
What a wonderful work of historical fiction! This is the second book that I have read by Patti Callahan Henry and she has dazzled me yet again with her wonderful writing, well thought out plot, vivid descriptions, great characters, and intriguing mystery. The first book I read by her was The Story She Left Behind, and if you have not read that book, I recommend it as well as this one! This book touches on family, war, guilt, life choices, family, love, storytelling, and loss.
During the second world war, Hazel and her younger sister, Flora are sent to a rural village to live with Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry. It is there that Hazel crates stories involving magical lands (Whisperwood) where they can go to escape their troubles. One day, Flora vanishes on the banks of the Thames River, and Hazel will carry her loss and guilt with her wherever she goes. Twenty years later, Hazel will open a book which contains the magical stories she created for her sister years ago….
This book is told through two timelines which provides reader with glimpses into the past while telling the story in the present (1960’s) setting of the book. I so felt for Hazel and her feelings of lost and the guilt that she felt over her sister’s disappearance. Although she felt loss and guiIt, Hazel also never gave up on knowing the truth about her sister’s disappearance. She never gave up and was determined to get answers. I thought the author did a fantastic job at showing how loss and guilt can shape and affect someone’s life. Like Hazel, I also tried my best to figure out what might have happened to Flora but never guessed the truth.
I loved how the author brought everything together. This book had me feeling all kinds of emotions and I found it to be equal parts, heart wrenching and hopeful. I loved the emphasis on storytelling and how stories can help us escape and travel to magical places. I also loved the emphasis on bonds, family, love, never giving up, being hopeful, and connections. This book will break your heart but will also mend it along the way.
Gripping, evoking emotion, hard to put down, and a joy to read.
