CHARACTER
The Secret Book of Flora Leaby Patti Callahan Henry

Hazel Mersey Linden

Hazel Mersey Linden

Quick Facts

Hazel Mersey Linden is the protagonist of The Secret Book of Flora Lea. As a teenager during WWII, she creates the imaginary world of Whisperwood to protect her younger sister, Flora Lea Linden. After Flora's disappearance, Hazel spends twenty years consumed by guilt, until the discovery of a mysterious book reignites her hope and sets her on a quest to uncover the truth.

Who She Is

Hazel is a storyteller at heart, a creative and imaginative young woman whose life is irrevocably altered by the disappearance of her sister during the evacuation of London in 1940. Haunted by guilt and the belief that her stories somehow contributed to the tragedy, she spends two decades living a life of quiet penance, until the unexpected appearance of a book based on her childhood stories compels her to confront her past and fight for the truth.

Personality & Traits

Hazel's personality is a complex blend of creativity, responsibility, and deep-seated guilt. As the older sister, she feels an immense sense of duty to protect Flora, a responsibility that becomes the foundation of her two-decade-long suffering.

  • Imaginative and Creative: Hazel's greatest gift is her imagination. She single-handedly creates the rich, detailed world of Whisperwood, demonstrating The Power of Stories and Imagination. This creativity is both a comfort and, after Flora's disappearance, a source of deep pain.
  • Protective and Responsible: As the older sister, Hazel feels an immense responsibility for Flora's well-being, a duty reinforced by her parents' words, "Watch out for each other" (Chapter 3). This sense of duty is central to her identity and becomes the foundation of her two-decade-long guilt.
  • Guilt-Ridden and Cautious: For twenty years, Hazel believes her budding romance with Harry Aberdeen distracted her, leading directly to Flora's disappearance. This guilt shapes her adult life, causing her to shut down her own storytelling and keep emotional distance in her relationships, particularly with her boyfriend, Barnaby Yardley. She was terried of feeling too much, of feeling what I really want because at some point, on that October day in 1940, I lost what mattered because I wanted something so fiercely (Chapter 50).
  • Tenacious and Hopeful: Despite the overwhelming evidence and the passage of time, Hazel never fully gives up on finding Flora. The discovery of the book ignites a fierce, unstoppable tenacity that drives her to confront her past, take significant personal and professional risks, and follow the faintest of clues. She embodies the theme of Grief, Loss, and Hope.
  • Intelligent and Literary: Hazel's love for books is a constant in her life. She works at Hogan's Rare Book Shoppe and earns a coveted position at Sotheby's. Stories are her refuge, but after losing Flora, she can only bear to engage with the stories of others, not her own.

Character Journey

Hazel's journey is one of profound transformation, from a woman defined by loss to one who reclaims her own narrative. In 1940, she is a vibrant, creative young girl who uses her imagination to shield her sister from the horrors of war. Flora's disappearance shatters her world, leading her to make a vow to abandon her storytelling and her love for Harry in exchange for Flora's return (Chapter 43). This vow dictates the next twenty years of her life, turning her into a cautious, guarded woman. The arrival of the Whisperwood book in 1960 acts as a catalyst, forcing her to confront her past and embark on an active search for Truth, Memory, and Secrets. This quest compels her to reconnect with Bridgette 'Bridie' Aberdeen, confront Harry, and finally be honest with her mother, Camellia Linden, each step chipping away at the wall of guilt she has built around herself. By finding Flora (now Dorothy 'Dot' Bellamy) and learning the truth about Imogene Wright's kidnapping, Hazel is finally absolved of the blame she has carried for two decades. This liberation allows her to make authentic choices for the first time in her adult life: she quits her prestigious job, ends her passionless relationship with Barnaby, and embraces a future with Harry. Ultimately, she reclaims her identity as a storyteller by writing her own book, transforming her pain into a narrative of hope and healing.

Key Relationships

  • Flora Lea Linden / Dorothy 'Dot' Bellamy: Flora is the center of Hazel's world, their bond forged through the shared magic of Whisperwood. Flora's disappearance is a trauma that arrests Hazel's emotional development for twenty years. The quest to find her is simultaneously a quest for Hazel to find herself. Their reunion is the story's emotional climax, representing the healing of a wound that has shaped both their lives.

  • Harry Aberdeen: Harry is Hazel's first love and kindred spirit. Hazel blames their innocent, budding romance for Flora's disappearance, leading her to renounce him in a grief-stricken vow. For twenty years, he represents a past too painful to revisit. When they reunite, they discover they have both been carrying the same misplaced guilt. He is the love she denied herself, and choosing a future with him signifies her ultimate freedom from the past.

  • Barnaby Yardley: Barnaby is Hazel's kind and stable boyfriend in 1960. He represents a safe, conventional future that Hazel believes she should want. However, he cannot grasp the profound depth of her trauma, dismissing her quest as chasing a "fairy tale" (Chapter 50). His inability to understand the power of her story highlights their fundamental incompatibility and forces Hazel to choose between a safe future and a true one.

Defining Moments

Hazel's life is punctuated by moments that define her character and drive the narrative forward. These moments reveal her strengths, her vulnerabilities, and her unwavering determination to uncover the truth.

  • Creating Whisperwood (Chapter 3): In her family's back garden in Bloomsbury, Hazel creates an imaginary safe haven for Flora, establishing the story's central motif and demonstrating the deep, protective love that drives her.
  • Flora's Disappearance and the Vow (Chapters 39 & 43): After sharing a kiss with Harry in a hollowed-out tree, Hazel discovers Flora is missing from the riverbank. This moment cements her belief that her desire and her stories are dangerous. In her grief and fever, she makes a blood vow at the church altar to give up storytelling and Harry in exchange for Flora's return, a promise that dictates the course of her life for the next twenty years.
  • Discovering The Secret Book of Flora Lea (Chapter 2): On her last day at Hogan's, Hazel unwraps a parcel containing a book with her secret title and illustrations of her secret world. This shocking discovery shatters her quiet existence and launches her on an unstoppable quest for the truth.
  • Finding Flora (Chapter 47): In the garden of The Perch pub, Hazel meets the journalist Dorothy Bellamy. When she sees the distinctive birthmark on Dot's wrist, she recites the opening lines of Whisperwood, triggering a flood of recognition and realizing she has found her lost sister. This is the culmination of her twenty-year search.

Essential Quotes

Hazel's journey is best understood through her own words and the words of those who know her best. These quotes offer insight into her character, her motivations, and the themes of the novel.

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.

This quote, the opening lines of Whisperwood, encapsulates Hazel's imaginative spirit and her desire to create a safe and magical world for Flora. It also foreshadows the novel's central theme of finding one's place in the world.

"Watch out for each other."

This simple phrase, repeated by Hazel's parents, becomes a mantra that defines her relationship with Flora. It underscores the immense responsibility she feels for her sister's well-being and the guilt that consumes her after Flora's disappearance.

"Which one is a fairy tale, Barnaby? The one about finding Flora, or the book by Peggy Andrews? Because either way, it is never, ever only a fairy tale."

This quote reveals Hazel's frustration with Barnaby's inability to understand the significance of her quest. It highlights the power of stories to shape our lives and the importance of believing in the seemingly impossible.

I thought my imagination was what doomed us.

This quote encapsulates Hazel's deep-seated guilt and her belief that her storytelling somehow contributed to Flora's disappearance. It reveals the internal conflict she faces between her creative spirit and her sense of responsibility.

For when you see that the world shimmers just like the outline of Whisperwood’s doors, mystery and enchantment are everywhere just waiting to be noticed. In an unmapped realm in your own souls, I hope all of you find the land made just and exactly for you.

This quote, from Hazel's own book at the end of the novel, demonstrates her transformation from a woman haunted by loss to one who embraces the power of imagination and hope. It symbolizes the ultimate triumph of love and creativity over despair.