In October 1940, a young girl's world of imagination intertwines with the harsh realities of war, setting in motion a chain of events that reverberates two decades later. When Hazel discovers a mysterious book, the past resurfaces, and she is compelled to confront the long-dormant mystery of her sister's disappearance.
Chapter 1: On a red blanket by the river
Six-year-old Flora Lea Linden / Dorothy 'Dot' Bellamy awakens alone by the River Thames in Binsey, Oxfordshire. She finds herself in Whisperwood, the magical, imaginary land she shares with her older sister, Hazel Mersey Linden. Hazel has warned her about the river's dangers, describing it as a place where stars rush to the sea and one could get lost forever.
Feeling rebellious because Hazel no longer wants to play in Whisperwood, Flora pretends to be a bunny near the churning river. She slips on the muddy bank, and her teddy bear, Berry, falls perilously close to the water. As Flora reaches for him, she recalls Hazel's words: "It's our land. We're always safe in Whisperwood." This moment establishes the sisters' secret world and foreshadows the tragedy of Flora's disappearance.
Chapter 2: March 1960
Twenty years later, Hazel is on her last day at Hogan's Rare Book Shoppe in London before starting a new job at Sotheby's. Now in her thirties and in a loving relationship with Barnaby Yardley, Hazel is a respected professional in the world of rare books. Her boss, Edwin, asks her to process one last shipment of new arrivals.
Among the items, she finds an intriguing portfolio from America bound with a red velvet ribbon. Inside is a signed first edition of a children's book titled Whisperwood and the River of Stars by an American author, Peggy Andrews, complete with original hand-painted illustrations. The title is the secret name of the imaginary world she created for her lost sister. The cover illustration depicts two girls running through a woodland with a river glittering with stars. This discovery shatters Hazel's carefully constructed life and reignites a long-dormant mystery.
Chapter 3: September 1939
The narrative flashes back to the beginning of World War II. Fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are in the garden of their Bloomsbury flat. Their father has recently died in an RAF training accident, and their mother, Camellia Linden, is struggling with grief while the threat of the Blitz and the impending child evacuation, Operation Pied Piper, looms over them. Flora is anxious and fearful, unable to sleep through the night.
To comfort her little sister, Hazel invents a story. She creates an invisible, magical kingdom called Whisperwood, a safe place that belongs only to them. It has a River of Stars and is accessible through shimmering, secret doorways. This story becomes their refuge, a way to cope with the fear and uncertainty of the war. The Power of Stories and Imagination is their primary defense against the encroaching darkness. The chapter ends as their mother appears in the garden holding a piece of paper, the unspoken implication being that it is their evacuation notice, the catalyst that will send them away from London and set the stage for Flora's disappearance.
Chapter 4: March 1960
Back in 1960, Hazel is reeling from her discovery. The book's summary describes twin orphans who escape to the Kingdom of Whisperwood—a detail that strikes Hazel, as she and Flora were sent to live in Oxfordshire during the evacuation. Overcome with a mix of shock, hope, and desperation, Hazel makes a fateful decision: she steals the valuable book and its original illustrations, slipping out the back door of the shop.
Hazel rushes home to her flat, the same one she grew up in. She reads Whisperwood and the River of Stars. The story contains uncanny similarities to her own, including a red blanket and a garden setting, but also significant differences—the characters are American orphans, and they interact with other fairy tale characters, changing their stories to create better endings. Convinced that this book is an impossible, tangible clue to her sister's fate, Hazel grapples with the central question: is the author, Peggy Andrews, actually Flora? The chapter ends with the jarring realization that in her desperate search for answers, she has just committed a serious crime.
Chapter 5: March 1960
Still in her flat, Hazel receives a worried call from her colleague Tim, but she lies about her abrupt departure. She begins a list of people who might have known about Whisperwood, writing down the names of Harry Aberdeen and Bridgette 'Bridie' Aberdeen, the people they lived with during the evacuation. Her boyfriend, Barnaby, arrives for a dinner date she has completely forgotten. She cancels their plans and confesses everything about the book. A flashback reveals they met three years earlier at a Sotheby's auction, where he outbid her for a Virginia Woolf pen, only to gift it to her later.
Barnaby is supportive but cautious, gently suggesting the story's similarities could be a coincidence, a product of the "universal unconscious." He represents a voice of reason, trying to protect Hazel from the potential for devastating disappointment. Hazel, however, is angered by his rationalism, her voice filled with the pain of two decades of Grief, Loss, and Hope. She passionately declares that their story is not "only a fairy tale" and that it must mean something. The conversation highlights the central conflict between Hazel's desperate, intuitive belief and the logical skepticism of the outside world.
Key Events
- 1940: Six-year-old Flora Linden plays by the River Thames in the imaginary world of Whisperwood.
- 1939: Hazel invents the story of Whisperwood to comfort Flora amidst the fear of war.
- 1960: Hazel discovers a children's book with the same title and premise as her secret childhood story.
- 1960: Hazel steals the book from her workplace.
- 1960: Hazel tells Barnaby about the book, revealing her hope that Flora might still be alive.
Character Development
Hazel Mersey Linden
- Hazel is a competent woman who has built a stable life, yet the discovery of the book reveals the unhealed wound of her sister's disappearance.
- Her decision to steal the book demonstrates a desperate side driven by grief and hope.
- The flashbacks establish her as a protective older sister who used storytelling as a shield to protect Flora from The Impact of War.
Flora Lea Linden
- Flora is an innocent, imaginative child who believes in the magical world Hazel created.
- Her defiance in approaching the river hints at the circumstances that may have led to her disappearance.
Barnaby Yardley
- Barnaby is a kind, intelligent, and loving partner who serves as a rational anchor to Hazel's emotional turmoil.
- His skepticism introduces a key conflict: faith versus logic.
Themes & Symbols
Themes
- The Power of Stories and Imagination: Hazel creates Whisperwood as a sanctuary from war and grief. The discovery of the book suggests that a story can take on a life of its own.
- Grief, Loss, and Hope: Hazel's life has been defined by the loss of Flora. The book transforms her static grief into an active hope that her sister might have survived.
- Sisterhood and Family Bonds: The bond between Hazel and Flora is the heart of the story. Hazel's quest is fueled by this unbreakable bond.
Symbols
- The River: The river is a dual symbol. In Whisperwood, it represents imagination and escape. In reality, it symbolizes loss and the unforgiving nature of the real world.
- Whisperwood: The imaginary land symbolizes the innocence of childhood and the protective power of stories.
- Whisperwood and the River of Stars (The Book): The book is a symbol of hope and mystery, a tangible link to Hazel's past and her lost sister.
Key Quotes
Not very long ago and not very far away, there once was and still is an invisible place right here with us. And if you are born knowing, you will find your way through the woodlands to the shimmering doors that lead to the land made just and exactly for you. HAZEL MERSEY LINDEN, 1939
This quote, which opens the novel, immediately establishes the magical realist elements of the story. It hints at the existence of a hidden world accessible only to those who possess a certain innate knowledge or sensitivity, setting the stage for the importance of imagination and storytelling in the narrative.
It’s our land. We’re always safe in Whisperwood.
Flora's words, spoken as she reaches for her teddy bear near the river, encapsulate the sense of security and refuge that Whisperwood provides. However, the fact that she is in danger even as she says these words creates dramatic irony, foreshadowing the tragedy to come and highlighting the limitations of imagination in the face of real-world threats.
...their story is not "only a fairy tale" and that it must mean something.
Hazel's impassioned declaration to Barnaby reveals the depth of her belief in the significance of the book. It underscores the novel's central theme of the power of stories and the blurring of lines between reality and imagination, particularly in the context of grief and loss.
Significance
These opening chapters set up the novel's central mystery and emotional core. The creation of Whisperwood is shown as a vital coping mechanism against the trauma of war and loss. The discovery of the book forces Hazel to confront the past she has spent twenty years trying to suppress. Her theft of the book signals that she is willing to risk her present for the possibility of uncovering the truth about her past. These chapters lay the foundation for a quest about the enduring power of stories, the persistence of hope, and the bonds of sisterhood.