The Secret Book of Flora Lea

On her last day of work, Hazel encounters a volume titled Whisperwood and the River of Stars, by an American author named Peggy Andrews. Although the book is fictional, it serves as the novel’s inciting incident, underlying thematic current, and in some ways becomes the story’s “McGuffin”—a literary term used to refer to a tangible object that incites the central characters into action (normally something which the characters are searching for, such as an antidote, but sometimes something that pushes them on their journey, as is the case here). Although Peggy Andrews is a fictional character, the book’s illustrator, Pauline Baynes, was a real artist. Baynes is most famous for her work on the stories of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis and lived and worked in England at the time in which this book is set (although it is not specified in the novel, it’s unlikely that Peggy and Pauline would have crossed paths; more likely, the publisher would have liaised between them knowing of Pauline’s prior accomplishments). At the end of The Secret Book of Flora Lea, Pauline Baynes donates brand-new illustrations to Whisperwood after hearing Hazel’s and Peggy’s story.

Whisperwood and the River of Stars sets the protagonist on her journey, instigating a series of irreparable choices, such as Hazel’s impulse to steal the book from her shop. At one point, it becomes a crux of obsession that puts Hazel and Barnaby’s relationship and future at risk; however, it also brings her back to old friends and creates connections with new ones. In this, the book encapsulates the theme of The Double-Edged Power of Hope, showing the potential for healing in what the Whisperwood book can offer while also showing the damage it can do to the present moment.

Although Peggy’s version of Whisperwood is strongly influenced by Hazel’s childhood storytelling, it has since evolved and grown to become Peggy’s own creation. It includes fairy tale characters who ultimately, in their own worlds, meet tragic ends; in Whisperwood, they’re given new life by avoiding their potential pitfalls and mistakes. Here, the book does something the real world cannot: It rewrites the past. Through Hazel’s adventure, however, she can use the Whisperwood book to rewrite her future and give her a second chance at being in her grown-up sister’s life. This adventure also brings Peggy and Wren together, as well as Hazel and Harry, forging numerous connections through the power of storytelling.