The Secret Book of Flora Lea

There is an undercurrent of religious piety and spirituality throughout the novel, depicted especially via the character of Bridie, whose open-minded embrace of multiple traditions sets her apart from her community. Initially, the novel portrays her as a pious person, as she prays before dinner the first night after Hazel and Flora arrive. The true breadth of Bridie’s spiritual influences soon becomes apparent as she explains the equinox via Greek mythology. Bridie’s open-minded embrace of various spiritual traditions—new and old, which she sees as different versions of the same story—causes tension between her and the rest of her community, particularly with the nurses Imogene and Frances. Bridie’s embrace of both paganism and Christianity is illustrated when she holds a ceremonial celebration for Imbolc, the first day of spring in the Gaelic tradition. This is a celebration that is still observed today on February 1. Its Christian equivalent, St. Brigid’s Day, is an official public holiday in Ireland and is widely observed throughout the United Kingdom. In this chapter, Bridie (whose name is derived from Bridgette) acknowledges both names and interpretations of the holiday. Her approach is less about any religious subservience than about an inner spirituality and awareness. When Hazel asks her why she observes this day, Bridie responds, “To honor the seasons, curious one. To honor each other. To gather. To remember that we are part of something much bigger than the petty things of today” (183).

While Bridie’s open-hearted belief causes contention with some of the other villagers, who see it as evidence of witchcraft, it influences Hazel in positive ways. Although Hazel isn’t a religious person and doesn’t directly interact with religion in her adult life, her devotion to finding her sister reflects a sustaining sense of faith. Bridie also contributes to and encourages Hazel’s tendency to view the world through myth and stories, providing her with lenses through which to see and overcome even frightening situations with strength. This tendency, combined with Bridie’s love and respect for nature that she also shares with Hazel, gives Whisperwood itself a sense of sacredness, even if secular in nature.

Toward the end of the novel, religion is presented as an antagonistic force when it becomes the root—or at least a scapegoat—of Imogene’s justification for stealing a child from her family. When Imogene’s sister lost her young child, Imogene saw Flora as a divine opportunity to repair their broken family. Even Flora’s new identity carries a religious connotation: “Your name—Dorothy—it means gift from God” (311). When confronted, Imogene hides herself in this religious fervor to shield herself from the responsibility of her actions: “I am perfectly sane and I understood what God required of me. Do you?” (311). Although it would be easy for the novel to frame religion as an instigator of harm and injustice, Imogene’s confession is a portrayal of what happens when one’s faith becomes corrupted by personal need.

Ultimately, the novel highlights the personal nature of spiritual beliefs and that, like stories and myths, religion and spiritual traditions can evolve with time and with personal need, providing flexible lenses through which each person can choose to see and explain the world, even if that’s finding sacredness in the comfortable and mundane.