The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Hazel is working her last shift at an antiquarian bookshop in London. She watches the customers and jokes with her colleagues, Poppy and Tim, about her upcoming role at Sotheby’s auction house. Poppy and Tim are envious but good natured. Tim is the owner’s son, while Poppy is a young woman who was offered a job there while she was without a home. Hazel opens and catalogues a shipment of rare items, including a handwritten letter from Ernest Hemingway and a fairy tale book by an American author, accompanied by illustrations. As she works, Hazel thinks about her upcoming dinner with her boyfriend, mother, stepfather, and half-brother. She goes to help a customer find a book of poetry, and her best friend Kelty drops by with her daughter, Midge. Hazel returns to her work and opens the American fairy tale; she is shocked to discover it is a story about Whisperwood, the secret place she shared with her lost sister, who had “disappeared […] into the river” (11).

As children, Hazel and Flora consider the new war movement called Operation Pied Piper, a plan in which children will be evacuated from the most dangerous areas of England. Hazel remembers when her father had left for war training; he never even made it to battle, as he died in a training incident. To distract Flora, Hazel tells her a new story she’s made up about a secret world. As she speaks, she notices Flora’s distinctive birthmark. Together, they explore the magical story world using hidden doors only they can see. Their imagination is disrupted when their mother arrives with the children’s evacuation order.

Hazel begins reading Whisperwood and the River of Stars, which is about two sisters escaping to a magical world. She remembers how her sister Flora disappeared during the evacuation, allegedly into the River Thames. After 20 years, her disappearance has never been solved. Instinctually, Hazel puts the book into her bag and sneaks out of the shop. As Hazel runs away, she wonders if the author of the book is secretly Flora or if she heard it from Flora somehow.

At home, Hazel collects her mail and sees an issue of Vanity Fair with a feature by the journalist Dorothy Bellamy, who is writing a series on the children lost during the war evacuation. She has reached out to Hazel several times, hoping to write an article about Flora. Once Hazel has settled in, she takes out the book and examines it more carefully. The book is by an author named Peggy Andrews, who lives in America. It opens with a passage very similar to the words Hazel always used to begin her stories, though there are slight variations from the original tale, including reconstructions of pre-existing fairy tales. Hazel considers her next move, the impact of her theft, and the possibility that Flora might still be alive.

Tim calls Hazel and wishes her luck in her new job. Hazel considers confessing to her theft but remains silent. She thinks about her communication over the years with Aiden Davies, the inspector in charge of Flora’s case, and the life she has built for herself in London. She had dreamed of becoming an author but was never able to write down stories after Flora disappeared. Hazel’s boyfriend, Barnaby, arrives for their dinner appointment, which Hazel forgot.

The narrative shifts to 1957, as Hazel arrives at Sotheby’s for a special auction of literary memorabilia. She is particularly interested in a silver fountain pen that once belonged to Virginia Woolf. A handsome man sits beside her, and they introduce themselves. When the pen goes to auction, Hazel and the stranger, Barnaby, both bid on it. Barnaby ultimately outbids her, and Hazel is bereft. Several days later, Barnaby comes to see Hazel at work. They bond over their love for Virginia Woolf, and Barnaby invites her to dinner. At the end of their evening, Barnaby gives Hazel the silver pen, which he had originally purchased for his father’s collection.

In the present day, Hazel tells Barnaby about the stolen book and tells him the story of how Flora disappeared while they were spending the year in Oxford. Barnaby suggests Hazel use Dorothy Bellamy’s resources in her search, but Hazel declines, not wanting Flora to become a media sensation. She reveals that there was a body found in the river several years after Flora’s disappearance, but it was never properly identified. Hazel becomes tense and irritable at Barnaby’s hesitancy about her keeping the book.

With the German invasion underway, Hazel and Flora prepare to leave London. At night, Hazel sneaks out of bed to open a book of fairy tales and read about the Pied Piper. She discovers that the Pied Piper saved the town of Hamelin from rats, but then he took the children away in payment. The next day, Hazel and Flora leave home with all the other children of the city. Each of them wears an identifying tag, but no one knows where they’re going because the destinations are kept secret. They say goodbye to their mother and get on a train filled with children. After several hours, they disembark at Oxford. Hazel tries to be brave and mature for Flora.

Hazel and Barnaby discuss the stolen book. Barnaby thinks she should return it, but Hazel wants to explore it more first. Hazel thinks about her relationship with Barnaby and the separate heartbreaks and traumas that are keeping them apart. She hopes that Barnaby will propose to her on their upcoming trip to Paris. Barnaby accidentally knocks over his drink, soiling two of the precious illustrations. A policeman arrives at the door; Hazel is terrified her former employer has discovered her.

When Hazel goes to the door, she discovers that the policeman has been sent after a complaint about a noisy dog. Hazel explains that she doesn’t own a dog, and the policeman departs. Hazel and Barnaby unwind by making love, and Hazel forces herself not to think about her first love, Harry. Later, Hazel considers what to do about her theft; she resolves to tell her employers the truth after she’s had a chance to study the book more carefully.

She remembers the day Aiden Davies called to say they’d found Flora’s body. Neither Hazel nor her mother had accepted the unmarked body as proof of Flora’s death. Hazel phones Peggy Andrews’s publisher and pretends to be conducting an interview. The receptionist is dismissive and tells Hazel she can write to Peggy, care of the publishing house, before hanging up on her. Hazel begins composing her letter.

As Hazel follows the other children, her bag breaks and her belongings tumble into the street. A boy helps her gather them. Soon after, Hazel and Flora are standing in a line of children while local people choose which children to take home and board. A nasty-looking woman, Mrs. Marchman, chooses a girl named Kelty and takes her away. When a nice-looking lady comes by, Hazel hopes she will choose her and Flora; she realizes that the woman is the mother of the boy who helped her. He introduces himself as Harry and convinces his mother to take Hazel and Flora on. She introduces herself as Bridgette Aberdeen, or Bridie, and invites them home.